The Rocky Horror Show Audience Participation Guide: The Ultimate Script Bible

Welcome to Rocky Horror audience participation: the strange, glorious tradition where watching the show can mean dancing in the aisles, putting a newspaper on your head, shouting abuse at Brad, and, for reasons I'll explain later, arriving with a Bounty bar.

If you’re seeing The Rocky Horror Show for the first time, congratulations, you’re what Rocky fans call a Virgin. If you’ve seen it 47 times, can do the Time Warp without instructions and have strong opinions about exactly when somebody should shout “Say it!”, this is for you too. The important thing is that this is a bible, not a rulebook. 

Not every performance will include every opportunity listed below. Film screenings are generally more forgiving because the actors on screen cannot hear you and the film will continue regardless. Live theatre is different. The cast can react, the timing can change, and somebody has to perform on the floor you have just covered in rice. So check the rules for your venue, use your judgement and remember the golden Rocky rule: if your contribution makes the moment funnier, better or more communal, wonderful. If it stops everybody else experiencing the show, perhaps keep that particular pearl of wit to yourself.

There has never been one definitive Rocky Horror participation script. Callbacks have been invented, borrowed, altered and abandoned over the years. Some are British, some American, some belong almost entirely to film screenings, some only work when a particular stage production leaves the right pause, and some are topical jokes which will be hilarious for approximately three weeks before ageing like a tuna sandwich behind a radiator. 

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Where did Rocky Horror audience participation come from?

The Rocky Horror Show opened at the Royal Court Theatre Upstairs in London in 1973, but the audience-participation phenomenon really exploded after The Rocky Horror Picture Show found its midnight audience in America.

At New York’s Waverly Theatre in 1976, repeat visitors began answering the characters on screen. From there, fans developed more ways to respond. They dressed as the characters. They began acting the film out in front of the screen. By April 1977, props became an established part of the Waverly experience. Eventually, that culture found its way into productions of the stage musical.

The Rocky Horror prop guide

Props turn the audience into an awful special-effects department. You provide the rain, the wedding celebration, and the inexplicable airborne toilet paper. But check your venue first. Rice, water, and thrown food are sometimes banned, especially at live performances. Many venues now sell approved prop bags specifically so they know what is about to be launched over Row G.

When anything is being thrown, the traditional advice remains good advice: up, not at. Actors, screens, lighting equipment and the back of somebody’s skull are not targets.

Prop	Cue	Notes
Rice	At the opening wedding, as Ralph and Betty leave the church, guests celebrate.	Throw it into the air to celebrate the newlyweds. It is one of the classic film traditions. Some audiences bring confetti if rice is banned.
Bubbles	At the opening wedding, as Ralph and Betty leave the church, guests celebrate.	A substitute for when rice or confetti are banned.
Bouquet, novelty ring or wedding veil	During the opening wedding/proposal material, matching Betty’s bouquet or Janet’s engagement.	These come from the history of shadow casts and audience performers recreating the film. You do not need to arrive looking like you have robbed Hobbycraft.
Newspaper	As Brad and Janet walk towards the castle during “Over at the Frankenstein Place”	Hold it over your own head to shelter yourself from the rain. The film newspaper is The Plain Dealer.
Water pistol	As Brad and Janet walk towards the castle during “Over at the Frankenstein Place”	You need to make it rain. That means squirting the people hiding beneath their newspapers. Take particular aim at newspaper owners... or don’t, if you are feeling mischievous.
Torch, glow stick or phone torch	During “Over at the Frankenstein Place”, whenever the “There’s a light…” refrain begins.	Light up the auditorium. A glow stick or small torch is ideal.
Candle or lighter	Historically used at the same “There’s a Light” cue.	An original Rocky tradition which has largely had its day due to… fire.
Rubber or nitrile glove	During Frank’s creation speech, whenever Frank stretches and snaps his rubber gloves.	Snap yours with Frank. You are creating one satisfying auditorium-wide sound effect.
Party horn, blower or noisemaker	At the end of Frank’s creation speech, after “For tonight is the night that my beautiful creature is destined to be born.”	Rocky is arriving. Make some noise with the Transylvanians.
Confetti, streamers or party popper	At the end of “I Can Make You a Man (Reprise)”, as the celebration/wedding music begins and Frank and Rocky head off together.	Celebrate the happy — if unconventional — couple.
Party hat	At the dinner scene.	When Frank puts on a party hat, you do too!
Toast	During dinner, when Frank raises his glass and proposes “a toast.”	Throw toast into the air. That is the entire joke and it’s simplicity is beautiful.
Paper plate	At dinner, when Frank pulls away the tablecloth and the meal is revealed.	Throw or display the plate if your screening specifically uses this prop.
Toilet roll	When Dr Scott enters and Brad cries “Great Scott!”	Launch the toilet paper into the air. The original joke was specifically about Scott/Scotts toilet tissue.
Bell	During “Planet Schmanet, Janet”, when Frank sings “Did you hear a bell ring?”	Ring it once. One satisfying ding. If bells are barred, a spoken “Ding!” can do the job.
Keys	During “Planet Schmanet, Janet”, on “Did you hear a bell ring?”	No bell? Jangle your keys. Several screening traditions explicitly suggest this substitution.
Hot dog	During “Planet Schmanet, Janet”, when the company tells Frank “You’re a hot dog…”	Throw the hot dog on the line - though this prop is quite often on the banned list because it attracts pests if the cleaners don’t find them all.
Playing cards	During “I’m Going Home”, on “Cards for sorrow, cards for pain.”	Cards go into the air. Some fans bring playing cards, some greeting cards and even bits of cardboard marked “sorrow” and “pain”.
Tarot card	During “I’m Going Home”, on “Cards for sorrow, cards for pain.”	An alternative to standard playing cards.
Prune	During “Science Fiction/Double Feature”, at the line “Dana Andrews said prunes…”	An old tradition that died out quickly... It simply wasn’t funny enough!
Balloon	During “Science Fiction/Double Feature”, when the song reaches “When Worlds Collide.”	Pop it on the film title reference.
Bounty bar or wrapper	During Frank’s laboratory speech when he declares “paradise is to be mine!”	A British/regional wordplay tradition riffing on Bounty’s tropical “paradise” advertising.
Kit Kat bar or wrapper	During the creation speech after Frank says “Suddenly… you get a break.”	You know the advertising slogan… Have a break… Have a KitKat.
Sponge	During Columbia’s confrontation with Frank, when she tells him “You’re like a sponge!”	Hold it up or throw it if you’re allowed.
Rope	Near the climax, when the rope drops from the castle rigging after Riff Raff fires.	A rare visual film-screening prop. Hold it up. Do not start lassoing the stalls.
Large J-A-N-E-T cards	During “Dammit Janet”, as Brad says and spells Janet’s name.	A coordinated group gag. Some fans put O-H-B-R-A-D on the reverse. It needs several people, decent sightlines and more organisation than anybody normally expects from a Rocky audience.
Lipstick “V”	Before the performance, first-time Rocky attendees should be given their V plates!	A pre-show ritual rather than part of the script. Nobody should be marked, touched, dragged onstage or publicly “initiated” without actively agreeing to it.

Rocky Horror callbacks and heckles

A good callback makes it sound as though the actor has accidentally wandered into a conversation with 800 extremely inappropriate people. The audience asks something; the written line appears to answer it. A pause becomes a punchline. Frank gets heckled. The Narrator gets progressively more irritated. Everyone wins.

A bad callback is somebody screaming over an entire verse because they have finally remembered something they read on Reddit in the taxi. There are hundreds of Rocky Horror responses. Some are established. Some belong to cinema. Some also contain language which has aged rather interestingly… Use what suits the room.

Audience response	Cue	Notes
“Let there be lips!”	At the very beginning of the film, when the lips appear for “Science Fiction/Double Feature.”	Obviously this relies rather heavily on there actually being giant lips, so most stage openings do not offer the same opportunity.
“On our feet!”	In “Science Fiction/Double Feature”, around the lyric about being told “where we stand.”	Keep it quick; the singer still has a song to get through.
“What’s the best place to fuck?”	At the final “back row” reference in “Science Fiction/Double Feature.”	The audience supplies a question immediately before the song supplies “the back row” as its answer.
“No!”	After the wedding, when Janet says “didn't Betty look radiantly beautiful?”	A low-effort contradiction found in stage participation scripts.
“Sing it, asshole!”	When Brad announces that he has something to tell Janet immediately before “Dammit Janet.”	The audience predicts that speaking is about to become singing.
“Asshole!”	When Brad’s name is introduced by the Narrator or during the traditional Brad introduction.	One of the two most famous Rocky callbacks. Use it early on, not every time someone says the word “Brad.”
“Slut!”	When Janet’s name is introduced by the Narrator or during the traditional Janet introduction.	The equally famous companion response.
“You may not!”	When the Narrator politely says “I would like… If I may…”	Some audiences do the opposite and encourage him. Either way, the Narrator now knows what sort of evening this is going to be.
“How strange was it?”	When the Narrator describes Brad and Janet’s journey as strange.	One of the earliest callbacks.
“He said stay there!”	When Riff Raff tells Brad and Janet to stay where they are and Brad nevertheless starts moving.	A live-stage callback reported working particularly well because Brad responded physically by retreating.
“Buy an umbrella!”	As Janet walks through the rain beneath her newspaper.	One of the genuinely historic Rocky callbacks. Louis Farese recalled shouting it at the Waverly in 1976. Elegant, practical and ignored for 50 years.
“But you did!” / “But it did!” / “But you’re not!”	As Janet complains in succession that they “shouldn’t have come”, that the “car shouldn’t have broken down”, and that she wishes they were “among friends.”	Three rapid contradictions in live-theatre participation can be brilliant. But only if Janet leaves the gaps.
“Say hello, Riff!”	As Riff Raff opens the castle door to Brad and Janet.	A simple audience setup which gives Riff Raff’s greeting a second job.
“Castles don’t have phones!”	When Brad asks, “Didn't we pass a castle back down the road a few miles?”	Especially pleasing because the entire plot began with Brad wanting to make one phone call.
“She’s already wet!”	During the storm, when Brad says there is “no point in both of us getting wet.”	Yes, it is exactly the sex joke you think it is. Subtle? Absolutely not.
“What’s your favourite colour?”	Just before or as Frank calls “Magenta!”	The character’s name becomes the answer. Works best if there is a genuine pause to put the question into.
“Where do you get your drugs?”	Just before or as Frank calls “Columbia!”	Another character-name-as-answer gag, found in film and stage scripts.
“Sexual!”	In “Sweet Transvestite,” Frank says, “He’s good for relieving my…” (pauses) “…tension.”	The audience supplies the innuendo, Frank supplies the noun, and everybody is extremely pleased with themselves.
“Say it!”	In “Sweet Transvestite,” during Frank’s famous pause in “antici…pation.”	Possibly the easiest audience cue in musical theatre. A Frank who knows what they are doing may stretch that pause until you question the passing of time itself.
“How’s your sex life, Brad?”	During “I Can Make You a Man,” around Janet’s “Oh, Brad!” response.	Brad’s next line, “It’s alright, Janet”, appears to answer it. It lives or dies by the production’s timing.
“And nights!”	In “I Can Make You a Man,” immediately after “In just seven days…”	Because apparently Frank’s seven-day programme was not intensive enough. A quick addition, then get out of the way of the rest of the lyric.
“Same thing!”	When Riff Raff refers to himself and Magenta as Frank’s servants.	The audience reframes the relationship. Short, rude, effective.
“Naked!”	When Frank offers Brad and Janet a lab coat, “They'll make you feel less…”	Another audience correction of Frank’s euphemism. Some versions follow it with “Same thing!” After Frank says “Vulnerable.”
“Horse brutality!”	When Frank mentions hospitality.	A deliberately stupid sound-alike. Sometimes stupid is exactly the correct flavour.
“A what?”	During Frank’s creation speech when he explains that the discovery came from “an accident.”	Ask the question before Frank repeats “an accident”, making it look as if he has politely answered the stalls.
Seal noises / applause	When Frank announces that Rocky has the Charles Atlas seal of approval.	Sometimes audience participation is an art form. Sometimes it is several hundred adults making marine-mammal noises.
“Just one big one!”	After Janet says she does not like men with “too many muscles.”	A very widely recognised penile punchline.
“Meat Loaf!”	When Magenta announces that “dinner is prepared.”	A film-specific pun because Eddie was played by Meat Loaf.
“And we helped!”	Again, after Magenta announces “Dinner is prepared.”	This is a Waverly-era callback, not used so much anymore.
“Kiss-ass!”	When Dr Scott is named or arrives.	A recurring but less universal character response in audience scripts.
“Ding!”	In “Planet Schmanet, Janet,” on “Did you hear a bell ring?”	The spoken version of the bell prop. Particularly handy when the venue does not want hundreds of people arriving with actual bells.
Echo Dr Scott	During “Eddie’s Teddy”, as Dr Scott recounts Eddie’s history.	Historically, some audiences echoed whole phrases.
A topical joke for the Narrator	When the Narrator leaves an inviting pause, explains a coincidence or reacts directly to the room.	Rocky callbacks have always evolved with politics, celebrities, local references and current events. The ideal topical joke is brief, funny and still comprehensible by the time you reach the car park.
“Where’s your neck?”	When the Criminologist/Narrator appears in the film, particularly Charles Gray’s close framing.	One of the classic film calls.

The deeper cuts: Rocky callbacks from the wild

And then there are the calls that live further out on the Rocky fringes. These have been reported by individual fans, specific cinemas or local shadow casts rather than becoming universally recognisable traditions. That doesn’t make them wrong. In many ways, inventing and passing around new jokes is how Rocky participation has always worked.

Audience response or variant	Cue	Notes
“who put a billboard in a graveyard?”	When the graveyard billboard appears during Brad’s proposal sequence.	For film screenings. Some fans reverse the question and ask who built the cemetery around the billboard.
“She also laughs at funerals”	When Janet says that she cries at weddings.	A dark little contradiction reported by fans. Keep it quick; the joke is the reversal.
“What’s two plus two?”	Immediately before a Brad sings “It's beyond me" during the song "Wild and Untamed Thing"	Brad’s response then makes him look magnificently dim.
“Spell Urinate”	After Brad says “I’m Brad Majors, and this is my fiancé Janet Weiss”	Brad’s next reply begins “You Are” or “U R” if you will. Very silly.
“What’s your favourite Lionel Richie song?”	Just before Riff Raff greets Brad and Janet at the door.	Riff Raff answers “Hello.”
“Stop off for a burger.”	Immediately before Brad mentions having passed a castle.	A US callback whose punchline relies on knowing the White Castle restaurant chain. A perfect demonstration of why not every Rocky line survives customs.
“Frank what’s your favourite drink”	Immediately before Frank says “Come… We are ready for the floorshow.”	“Come”, gives us the answer. The joke is a little tastless (if you’ll pardon the pun).
Suggest who is inside Riff Raff’s coffin clock	As Riff Raff opens it.	Traditionally a topical celebrity or local reference. Replace the reference when it stops being funny, preferably before the person named has been dead for fifteen years.
“I hate celery!”	Immediately before Frank removes the dinner tablecloth, provided the film’s celery is visible.	A pure visual-screening joke. If tonight’s stage designer has not ordered celery, you are simply announcing a vegetable preference.
“Can I have a slice?”	As Riff Raff serves meat onto Dr Scott’s plate.
Challenge “tender” with a comment on the meat	When Frank calls Eddie a tender subject at dinner.	A quick counter-pun.
“why are you alking to the camera?”	When Dr Scott appears to address the viewer during the film’s dinner scene.	A specifically cinematic gag.
Give the carving knife a sales pitch	When Frank produces the electric carving knife.	Audiences have invented mock adverts for the appliance. One sharp line is funnier than presenting the full QVC segment.
Joke that Columbia has eaten Eddie before	Around Columbia’s reaction at the dinner table.	The exact timing matters, you don’t have long.
Invent a new explanation for Columbia’s scream	Immediately before one of Columbia’s large screams, after Eddie’s death or at dinner.	Invent a cause, then let Columbia’s scream apparently confirm it.
“Two Brads!”	In “I Can Make You a Man,” when Frank describes a 98-pound weakling.	Bully Brad, I guess.
“Frank, what is your favourite body part?”	During “I Can Make You a Man,” shortly before the lyric reaches the man’s legs.	Lets the written lyric answer the audience question. Some versions then add a cheeky correction.
Complain that your seat is wet	During “Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch Me”, around Janet’s seat-wetting reference.	Some fans physically inspect the seat; another audience member may then tell them to sit down.
Announce a character roll call	During the final “creature of the night” sequence, immediately before each character’s turn.	Much easier against an unchanging film edit than a live company trying to land the finale.
Comment on the pool’s Michelangelo image	When The Creation of Adam becomes visible in the film’s pool.	Fans compare it with the Sistine Chapel or comment on Frank’s float. Entirely design-dependent.
“Like a [insert artists] concert”	During the film’s floor show, when empty theatre seats are visible.	Some audiences insert a topical musician and call it their “sold-out concert”.
“You said that last night”	Before “I’m Going Home.” When Frank says “I can explain.”	Repeat viewers joke that Frank died at the previous screening or show. “Last night”, “last week” or another variation changes with the venue’s schedule.
“Can he use your telephone or not?”	Near the end, as Riff Raff orders Brad and Janet away.	A lovely full-circle callback to Brad’s original reason for entering the castle.
“What did you  have for breakfast?”	During the final narration, immediately before “Some insects.”	It’s a weird one. But it has happened more than once.
Replace a word with a nearby town name	Whenever a lyric or line gives your local audience an irresistible rhyme.	The point is to invent your own local version, not inexplicably shout “Bulwell” in Wolverhampton.

Rocky participation is alive. Old lines disappear. New ones arrive. Topical ones mutate. Some jokes depend on the film's editing or visual composition. Others work because a live actor deliberately leaves room for them. And some older fan scripts contain material, including slurs, identity-based insults and disability jokes, that many modern audiences quite reasonably have no interest in resurrecting.

The test is not complicated:

Does the joke add something to the moment, and can the show continue immediately afterwards?

If yes, you are participating.

If the actor has to stand silently for 40 seconds while you complete your Edinburgh Fringe set, you have misunderstood the assignment.

Other ways to participate in Rocky Horror

You do not actually need a bag of objects and an encyclopaedic knowledge of callbacks to be part of Rocky Horror; sometimes the most important audience-participation instruction is simply: Do the Time Warp.

Participation	Cue	Notes
Dance the Time Warp	“The Time Warp.” You will know when.	Follow the instructions in the song: jump to the left, step to the right and so on. Nobody has to dance, though sitting completely still while 1,000 people do the Time Warp around you is a distinctive experience.
Dress as a character, a Transylvanian or whatever Rocky means to you	Before you arrive.	Costuming became central to Rocky culture in the 1970s. Screen-accurate Frank is an option, not an entrance requirement. Sequins, fishnets, lab coats, and completely original interpretations are all welcome where the venue permits.
Join a shadow cast or floor show	Throughout a film screening organised around one.	A shadow cast performs the film live in front of the screen, mimicking what is happening behind them. This is fundamentally different from heckling a licensed stage production because the movie cannot lose its place.
Use projected callbacks or a venue participation card	Whenever your production tells you to.	Some stage productions actively teach their audience which responses they want. Some productions have even projected prompts on the stage.
Sing along and cheer	Familiar refrains, big finishes and moments where the production welcomes it.	Stage arrangements, verses and tempos can differ from the film. Sing with the show rather than attempting to replace its cast recording in real time.
Take part in a Virgin introduction	Before the show or screening, if an MC is hosting one.	“Virgin” is the traditional Rocky term for a first-timer. Ceremonies vary wildly. Public participation, lipstick markings and anything physical should always be opt-in.
Enter the costume contest	Usually before the screening or performance.	A favourite pre-show tradition at many screenings and special events. Dress as Frank, Columbia, Riff Raff, Janet, Rocky or something the original designers would never have dreamt of.
Follow audience cue cards or group responses	When a host or shadow cast organises them.	Participation has always involved considerably more admin than the fishnets suggest.
Sit down and simply watch	At absolutely any point.	Also valid. You do not lose points for not shouting, dressing up or volunteering for anything. You do not need homework before attending Rocky Horror.
Invent new callbacks — and let old ones die	When a genuine gap gives you the opportunity.	This is how the tradition developed in the first place. Rocky callback repertoire should evolve.

So what should I actually bring to Rocky Horror?

If you are heading to a film screening, check the venue page before assembling anything. Many cinemas now supply their own participation bags precisely because traditional props such as rice, water, real toast and naked flames are a logistical nightmare.

If you are seeing a live production of The Rocky Horror Show, be even more cautious. The official UK fan guide says that some traditional film props simply should not be used on stage, and the current Broadway production makes the same point about callbacks: you are sharing the space with live performers and with audience members who may actually want to hear them.

And remember that not every show contains exactly the same beats. A prop cue may disappear because a production has changed its staging. A callback may suddenly have nowhere to land. A joke that has worked at your local cinema since 1987 may produce nothing but baffled silence on tour. Rocky Horror has never really been about everybody following one sacred audience script. It is about listening closely enough to know when there is room to play.

The final rule of Rocky Horror audience participation

There are hundreds of callbacks in circulation, dozens of props that have appeared somewhere at some point and half a century of people confidently insisting that their version is the correct one.

It isn’t.

The audience has spent decades adding to Rocky Horror because every screening and every live performance creates a slightly different relationship between the story and the people watching it. So take the newspaper. Do the Time Warp. Shout “Say it!” if Frank gives you the pause. But remember why you are there. You are not attempting to prove that you know more Rocky Horror callbacks than the person sitting beside you. You are helping create the atmosphere that made the show a phenomenon in the first place. Add to the experience. Don’t take it hostage.

Then give yourself over to absolute pleasure.