Lisa Kurtz Sutton

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Lisa Kurtz Sutton
Halloween, 1979
Sutton with cast members at The Hollywood Show in 2016

Rocky Horror Elder, Lisa Kurtz Sutton, is an American Rocky Horror fan and historian. Sutton (aka HistHORRian) is a major contributor to The Rocky Horror Wiki, with over 40-years of first-hand knowledge, extensive research and professional affiliation.

Her personal history with The Rocky Horror Picture Show began in 1975 when she saw the trailer for the film, before it opened, at the UA Westwood in Los Angeles, CA. At the end of its initial run at the UA Westwood, Sutton became the owner of one of two one-sheets that were displayed at the theater, starting a lifetime of collecting Rocky Horror memorabilia. She went to early screenings of the film at the Nuart Theater and the Fox Venice Theater, and later became a staple at the legendary Tiffany Theater on the Sunset Strip where in addition to being a cast member, she made and sold DIY Rocky T-Shirts and pins in the days before there was Officially Licensed Merchandise for ''The Rocky Horror Picture Show''. She appeared as part of both The Rocky Horror Revue (as a Transylvanian) and The Tiffany Troupe in various roles. She was one of the first Rocky Horror fans to see Shock Treatment at a private pre-release screening at 20th Century Fox.

Sutton was the the first to use props at the Nuart Theater, as she brought noisemakers (for the creation scene) and a teddy bear to hold up during "Eddie's Teddy" in March of 1977 (though she confesses she saw someone carry a teddy bear into a February, 1977 screening at the Bay Theater in Pacific Palisades, indicating possible prop usage earlier at other theaters in L.A.)

Although long since retired from performing, Sutton went on to co-produce and design The Rocky Horror Picture Show 15th Anniversary Box Set for Ode (distributed by Rhino.) That started an over 10-year relationship with the company, with involvement in several projects helmed by Lou Adler and Howard Frank, including the 20th and 25th Anniversaries. In every package she designed for Ode Records, Sutton snuck in a line-art background made from her very first pair of fishnets as an homage to her past as a fan and performer. In 1999, she worked alongside Richard O'Brien on his CD Absolute O'Brien. Later that year, she brought O'Brien to the US to perform live at Rhino Records' "Retrofest" at the Santa Monica Civic and recruited the Long Beach Rocky Horror cast Midnight Insanity to perform with him for the Rocky numbers.

40+ years after the release of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Sutton still attends occasional screenings and remains a trusted source of knowledge on the early years of the cult. She also was proudly instrumental in helping rescue the theater marquee from the legendary Rocky Horror venue, the Tiffany Theater when it was demolished on August 30, 2013.

On October 30, 2015, Sutton was present at the Rocky Horror Picture Show Day historical plaque dedication at the site of the UA Westwood, bookending 40 years of participation as a fan of the film.

Cast Affiliations

  • 1978: The Rocky Horror Revue
  • 1978-1980: The TIffany Troupe

Conventions Attended

1979: The First Annual Transylvanian Convention
1980: The Second Annual Transylvanian Convention
1981: The Semi-Annual Transylvanian Convention
1981: The Third Annual Transylvanian Convention
1990: The Master's Affair - 15th Anniversary Convention
1995: The Rocky Horror 20th Anniversary Celebration (Roxy Theatre, Pantages Theater, Hollywood, CA)
2010: 7 Deadly Sins: The Rocky Horror Picture Show 35th Anniversary Convention - Million Dollar Theater

Misc. RHPS Performances/Appearances

1979: Photographed/Interviewed for TIme Magazine article on the growing Rocky Horror Cult
1979: Wilshire Theater RHPS Opening Night (Fullerton, CA)
1979: Two on the Town (Rocky Horror segment, Sunset Strip Episode)
1979: Rocky Horror segment at Jon Peters Hair Show (Universal City, CA)
1980: Part of Photographic Exhibition on Rocky Horror Cult by David Sussman (Laguna Beach, CA)
1980: Rocky Horror Cast, in John Carpenter's Fade To Black (seen in film trailer, background in film)
2014: Interviewed for Rocky Horror Saved My Life
2016: Interviewed for The Rocky Horror Phenomenon (upcoming German documentary)

Theaters Attended 1975-Present

Shock Treatment Events

1981: Shock Treatment Special Advance Screening, 20th Century Fox
1981: Shock Treatment Opening Night --Vista, Hollywood

Honors

1999: Invited by Richard O'Brien to join him at revival performance of The Rocky Horror Show at the Tiffany Theater (after it had become a playhouse) with David Arquette as Frank N Furter
2001: Featured in "Fans who Crossed Over" article in Crazed Imaginations Fanzine (October/Issue #74)

Professional Involvement

Notable Concerts/Events Attended

1978: Tim Curry at the Roxy Theater
1979: Tim Curry at the Santa Monica Civic
1979: Tim Curry at the Roxy Theater
1980: Fame advance screening at MGM
1999: The Rocky Horror Show 1999 Los Angeles Revival starring David Arquette at the Tiffany Theater
1999: Richard O'Brien Live at Retrofest/Santa Monica Civic
2013: I Survived the Tiffany Reunion - Tiffany Theater/Nuart Theater
2013: Cast reunion at The Hollywood Show
2013: Archival Rescue of Tiffany Theater Marquee when theater was demolished
2014: An Evening with Tim Curry / Silent Movie Theater, Los Angeles
2015: Meatloaf at The Saban Theater, Beverly Hills
2016: Cast reunion at The Hollywood Show
2016: The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again Premiere - Roxy Theatre (West Hollywood CA) 2017: Tim Curry with Jamie Donnally at Rockwell Table & Stage (March 20)

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