On Halloween, most people imagine going to costume parties or trick-or-treating. But when the sun set on Halloween night, SLOQueerdos performed cult classic Rocky Horror Picture Show to a sold-out audience dressed in their finest fishnets and lipstick.
SLOQueerdos began three years ago. According to founder Daniel Gomez, SLOQueerdos started out as a way to bring the queer community closer together. Now, it does that while producing huge drag shows. Instead of doing a Halloween themed drag show in October, SLOQueerdos opted to perform Rocky Horror.
“The performance of drag is to have fun and to say ‘this is who I am, this is how I express myself,’” Stormy Merryweather, who played Eddie and Dr. Scott, said. “The SLOQueerdos have been really great in expressing that … and trying to get new people to come out of their shell.”
Gomez, who played Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the production, described his character as outrageous, charismatic, and crazy. Frank-N-Furter is an alien transvestite who is trying to create a muscular man named Rocky. Gomez said the character he played had an influential and controversial persona.
Audience members get the opportunity to let themselves go and be whoever they want to be, even if just for one night. According to Gomez, the main message of Rocky Horror is ‘Don’t dream it, be it.’ Gomez said SLOQueerdos creates a safe space where people can be the truest version of themselves.