ABOUT THE PROJECT

LOGLINE
50 years after Rocky Horror Picture Show premiered, the show continues to serve as a flashpoint for a new generation seeking identity and recognition, one pair of fishnets at a time. Kenny Starling’s new drag theater in rural Wyoming embodies Rocky Horror’s message of freedom of expression and sexual liberty.

SYNOPSIS
The Rocky Horror Picture Show opened up the door to sexual liberty and personal expression for multitudes of people throughout the world in the ’70s and ’80s, and most notably, for the queer community. Since then, there have been great strides in LGBTQIA+ visibility, support and national legislative wins.

But 50 years after Rocky Horror first shocked and delighted audiences, and now during the worst era for LGBTQIA+ rights in modern history, Frank-n-Furter and his cohorts are needed more than ever. Lights up on Rock Springs, Wyoming—a dusty little boomtown in the most conservative of red states—where 25-year old Kenny Starling has just opened the first drag and queer theater company in town.

Their inaugural production—a shadow cast of The Rocky Horror Picture Show—and Kenny’s mission is to bring queer visibility, diversity and acceptance to the high desert plains of Wyoming. TIME WARP follows Kenny and his cast of characters of all ages, races, sizes and identity on their journeys of self-discovery and growing community bonds as they face the challenges of a City Council fight trying to shut them down, a mass shooting on the eve of Trans Remembrance Day in a neighboring state, the growing nationwide call to ban trans and drag rights and even simply, walking in high heels and a super-tight corset.

Wyoming’s motto as the “Equality State” has missed the mark over the last century, but the Starling Company might be the way to get things back on track, at least inside the Broadway Theater in this small windy city. This documentary is a celebration of queer joy and community. “Ultimately, it’s not political. It’s our existence”, says Kenny. The stakes have never been higher for the queer community and especially, queer youth. As Frank-n-Furter sings… “Don’t dream it, be it.”

PROJECT TYPE Documentary Feature

DIRECTOR Allison Berg
PRODUCER Allison Berg, Jen Chaiken, Susan Margolin
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER Billy Porter, Josh Gad, Submarine Deluxe, Jen Rainin, Lisa Kleiner Chanoff
Advisor Kevin Jennings, CEO - Lambda Legal

ID: 393