Difference between revisions of "Sweet Translucent Dreams"

Revision as of 19:31, 20 March 2021

Cast Location: NE Pennsylvania

Cast Website: http://www.stdrhps.net/kyled/index.php

Cast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stdrhps/

Cast Status: Active

Cast Venues: ArtsQuest, Emmaus Theatre

Show Frequency: see website for schedule

Our Cast History

   In late 2002 we were thinking of creating a Rocky Horror cast in Pottsville, Pennsylvania. One night, out Christmas shopping, we walked into a small 2-screen mall theatre and discovered the owner, Andy, used to show Rocky in the late 70's / early 80's and wanted to bring it back. A month later, he called us, with the news that he had a print and that we'd be opening in 7 days. 

We had a website and an online newsgroup, but no cast to speak of, and seven days to pull off a show in an area that hadn't seen Rocky in almost 20 years. So we hit the Net and hit the jackpot. Members from Transylvanian Nipple Productions in Philly, The Transsexual Misfits in Maryland, and Sins of the Flesh from Allentown made us a melting pot of other casts, and we pulled off 2 shows that weekend.

   A casting call went out to everyone that showed up. That week, crash training started. Friends from other casts helped for the next 2 shows and we started to mix in the new locals: it went great. I remember Andy looking at me and saying "Thank You. This is what I needed to help save this place." Sadly, after just 4 shows, Andy passed away in his sleep and the theatre closed. 

   We were stunned. That weekend, while unloading our things from the theatre, I met two of Andy's friends who owned a theatre 20 miles away in Coaldale, PA. They wanted Rocky, but no water guns, no boobs popping out, NO USE OF THE WORD FUCK.

   While I was wondering "Did they EVER see Rocky?", they handed me an on-line AP script with all the lines crossed out that they didn't want to hear. But we accepted their offer, and opened 2 weeks later. Our first month, we hosted a lot of cast members from other states. One night in March we hosted an "invasion" of a cast from Boston called House of Sin. People came from as far as New York to see the combined show. 

   Months went by and the weekly show was going well: more locals were joining the cast. Summer came, and out of the blue one day the owners of the theatre fired us, saying "We want to go with more local people for the show." So we split the cast down the middle and the non-local STD was not only homeless again, but our ranks were low. 

   It was mid-August and Halloween was looming. We called around, and agreed to do a set of shows Halloween weekend for a little theatre in Hamburg, PA. A week later, Larry Viezel from New Jersey emailed about a BOWLING ALLEY in Harrisburg, PA that wanted to do a Halloween show. The manager showed me a stage where they would lay over 3 lanes. I had to tell him we were booked Oct. 31, but suggested a show Oct. 25th to kick off Halloween week. He agreed and even booked a band. So from 9pm till 11:45pm was Rock n Bowl with live music, the Rocky Horror at midnight. 

So now we had 3 shows in 2 places in 1 week. We hit the Net to get a cast together. The Melting Pot got a little deeper. All 3 shows sold out, including 50 plus lanes at the bowling alley! We were amazed. Neither town was a place we did Rocky but the numbers were off the charts. Then it hit us. Why do Rocky in the same place every week? If we get a few theatres and make it every few months, then you get better turnouts. Rocky becomes an event. Rocky is coming to town! The STD's are coming to town!

   So we mailed out cast info packs to about 100 theatres. Then I got a call from Dan in Boston, a participant in our Coaldale "invasion". His Grandmother had just been diagnosed with cancer. So we set out to find a theatre that wanted to help raise money for The American Cancer Society. I found 2 theatres that would help: one in Lehighton and one in Hazelton, PA. So of course we said "FUCK IT! Let's do both: one Friday and one Saturday!" We did, raising over $3,000 that weekend.

   Then Lafayette College in Easton, PA e-mailed us about doing a show. There were other events on campus that night, so we ended up in the campus CHURCH! The altar was the stage and they set a screen up in front of the cross. But it worked! 

   Our next gig was a private party at a fire hall. The fire alarm went off while Frank was changing near the trucks. The firemen came running in to get on the trucks with Frank standing there in full makeup saying "I love firefighters." (The firefighter we did the show for joined cast a year later as Rocky.) 

   The next show was a theatre in York, PA. They did an annual New Year's Eve show, and asked us since the local cast was no longer around. Having never turned down a show before, we said "Ok." We weren't sure what to expect. Don't most people have plans on New Year's Eve? Well were we fucking wrong! Our crowd was 650 people and the place was rockin'! This turned into a yearly event for 4 years for us (and we even picked up a new Janet along the way).

   We did our first outdoor show as a fundraiser for a LGBT group. Then another college show, set up by the school's pastor. There was a bar/nightclub in Allentown that set up a show with 3 bands and Rocky at midnight. Kid Rock was 8 blocks away the same night at the Allentown Fairgrounds. But we had fun and we pulled nicely off his crowd after his show let out. 

   We continued to pick up a few shows here and there and the cast was turning into a once every 2 month touring thing. Two years on the road and we got a call from a theatre in Scranton. Remember those letters we sent out? Well, they still had one and asked to meet us. The owner and a manager loved the first show so much, they booked us for every other month and they still are. We do our December shows as a fundraiser. We invite the Marines to the show, they bring Toys For Tots boxes and admission that night is one unwrapped toy. 

   This was the year that at East Stroudsburg, PA showed over 1400 people, that was probably our biggest crowd up to that date! I imagine that show is like the very early days of Rocky, with people rushing the stage and dancing and having a great time. We also got to do Becky’s drive-in theater in Oct of 2011, this was a first for us. It was so much fun to be able to see so many people and the energy that they shared with us on that cold night. 

In the beginning of 2012 we were offered to make SteelStacks at ArtsQuest our new home. This was a spot that we would perform there the last Friday of every month. It was nice to be able to have a home where we could get to know our audience. Along with doing some collage shows and benefit shows, it was a great year. Over the next few years we performed monthly at Steel Stacks and still did one off shows here and there.

   In 2015 we started calling the Emmaus Theatre our 2nd home and performed there every 3rd Saturday night at 10pm every month. To be able to have two spots that wanted us every month was amazing but this meant a lot more work. We were able to make a full second set of props and had more people join us. That was also a great halloween season for us. STD’s did our first halloween parade in Emmaus. We all had an amazing time. This was also the time when not only did we have sold out shows at both our home theaters, but we got to perform at the Berwick theater and the Sherman Theater in Scranton. Things were looking up for STD’s and we only welcomed more good news to come. 

In 2016 our cast was honored to be asked to perform at Relay for life. We also did our first parade in Allentown for St. Patrick’s Day and then again we made a float for the Emmaus Halloween parade. This was also our first year getting out in the community by being able to set up a tent at pride in the park and start informing people of our cast and all the benefits that we participate in. The day could not have been any better. Everyone had a really great time and look forward to doing them again.

In 2017 the cast participated in a walk for Autism Speaks. We also enjoyed doing the Allentown St. Patrick’s Day parade that we continued and did it again this year. With all the fun we had at pride in the park the previous year we decided to continue the tradition and have a tent again for a second year in a row. This was so much fun until it started to rain and we were standing in a foot of water.

For 2018, it was an awesome year for Sweet Translucent Dreams, we started the year out with a benefit walk for relay for life. To create a stronger bond with cast members we did a cast camping trip, a group trip to New York to see their cast, and ended our summer with another camping trip. This was also the year that we added a new “member” for STD’s. We got a herst for our cast car. Not only were our props getting better but we were being asked to come do more one off shows at other spots. At the end of 2018 we had to say goodbye to one of our fellow cast/family members who passed, with the help of a few outside members we were able to hold a fundraiser show to help his family.

The beginning of 2019 was bitter sweet for STD’s, We said goodbye to steel stacks and chose to become a traveling cast. So our final show there was the end of 2018. We still had our other home at Emmaus, and chose to push more and add new things to our shows. Like many casts before us, we started organizing and planning pre shows. For those that don't know what a pre show is, let me explain, it is a short show that is done before the movie is played. This can be anything from dancers, side show acts, musical numbers, ect. And we had them all.

We had a slow year with finding new shows at the start of 2019, but once we started we hit the floor running. Montrose, 12 Penny Saloon, Honesdale Cinemas, Flagship Cinemas in Matamoras, Majestic Theater, The Diva Theater, Pocono Cinema and Cultural Center all welcomed us to perform for them. Each show was great! This was a way that we got to perform for many sold out shows. With us only being at the theater for one night and one night only, everyone wanted to relive the good old days and enjoy this cult classic. We even did a double header at Flagship. We also had one hell of a halloween with sold out shows at Emmaus and Berwick. We got to end our year with a benefit show at Rumors in Pottsville for Toys for Tots.

2020 hit our cast hard. We started the year with our show at Emmaus, but then the world shut down and so did our cast. Covid-19 shut everything down which meant no theaters for our cast to perform in. Finally in June we were welcomed to perform at Fair Oaks drive in theater in New York. After 4 sold out shows there, we added Becky’s drive-in that was sold out twice, the Moonlite drive-in for two more sold out shows, and Circle drive-in for two more shows. September was the best! Not only did we celebrate 45 years of Rocky going strong. But we got to perform for a sold out show with Barry Bostwick as a special guest at Fair Oaks. For our halloween shows, we were unable to perform at Berwick this year but worked with the Theater and was able to perform at Hog’s Hollow Saloon.

With Covid still affecting everyone's lives, we don't know what 2021 has in store for STD’s but we promise you that we are going to do our best to still be there to entertain everyone and keep the cult classic we all love alive for many more years to come.

Co-Producer: - Kyle DeFina and Kailey Defina

Co-Casting Director: - Missy DeFina, Christi Garrison, Gina Giuliani

Stage crew Director and Special event coordinator: - Viki Alfonso

Treasurer: - Jahn Dusenbery

Alumni Members

Guest Performers

Special Shows

Theme Shows

Public Appearances

External Links

The Rocky Horror Picture Show Official Fan Site [1]