When It Comes to Casting “Rocky Horror”, Age Matters

(Photo: Theatre Royal Sydney)

by Chris Peterson

Every fall, as October approaches, theatre companies around the world begin preparing for one of their most reliable crowd-pleasers: The Rocky Horror Show. Audiences expect it, they crave it, and they come ready to shout, dress up, and time warp their way through a night of irreverent fun. It is a tradition as much as it is a performance, and the show has carved out a permanent spot in the cultural calendar.

I say this as a fan of Rocky Horror. I have shouted callbacks in the dark, danced in fishnets, and reveled in the joyful chaos that makes it so beloved. But being a fan does not mean ignoring hard truths. Sometimes, loving a show means acknowledging its limits, and one of those limits should be who gets cast.

Recently, I heard about a community theatre preparing a production of The Rocky Horror Show with minors in the cast. That raised immediate concerns for me, not because young performers should be shut out of theatre, but because this is one particular title where age truly matters.

We have already seen the pitfalls of this decision. Back in 2022, Innova Theatre Company in Middletown, Ohio, drew national headlines when they cast a 16-year-old boy as Rocky in The Rocky Horror Show at the Sorg Opera House. Parents and community members voiced concerns about a minor portraying such a sexually charged role alongside adults. The theatre defended its choice, pointing out that his parents approved, but the controversy overshadowed the production. That incident should have been a lesson to the entire theatre community.

Here is the reality: Rocky Horror is not neutral material. It is unabashedly about sex, desire, and liberation. The camp and comedy do not erase that truth. They heighten it. For adults, that mix is liberating. For teenagers, especially when performing alongside adults, it risks being confusing, exploitative, and inappropriate.

Some argue that if a young person wants the role and their parents approve, who are we to judge? But theatre companies are not only accountable to the actor and their family. They are accountable to their audience, their community, and the integrity of the art itself. Potentially watching a minor sing “Touch Me” on stage next to an adult performer does not feel edgy or brave. It feels wrong.

This is not about shutting teens out of the theatre. Quite the opposite. There are countless shows where their voices and talents belong. High school productions of Newsies, Grease, or even Spring Awakening (carefully handled) give teens room to explore themes of rebellion, romance, and self-discovery in ways that are safe and age-appropriate. But Rocky Horror demands maturity, not just in the subject matter but in the physicality of how it is staged.

When minors are put into adult situations on stage, it does not just compromise them. It also alters the audience’s experience. Instead of being swept up in the joyful abandon of Rocky Horror, viewers are forced into discomfort, questioning whether what they are watching should even be happening. That tension does not serve the show. It undermines it.

Theatre companies need to hear this clearly: The Rocky Horror Show is for adults, by adults. Casting minors in these roles is not daring or innovative. It is reckless. It places a child in a situation they may not fully understand, opens the door for criticism and controversy, and diminishes the work itself.

So here is the call to action. If you are planning on producing it this fall, do the responsible thing. Cast adults. Protect your performers. Respect your audience. And honor the show you claim to love. Rocky deserves to be outrageous, liberating, and wildly fun, but never at the expense of a teenager’s well-being.

Because at the end of the day, The Rocky Horror Show is not about shock value. It is about liberation. And liberation only means something when it is chosen freely, with maturity and agency behind it.