Tear gas after “Rocky Horror” in Minneapolis: several spectators exposed to mace outside the theatre

Several spectators were exposed to a chemical irritant as they were leaving a performance of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” at the State Theatre in Minneapolis on the evening of Thursday, 1 October. As BroadwayWorld reports, several people were affected by mace, but nobody was seriously injured.

Minneapolis police arrived at the scene at around 22:40, following reports that people were spraying each other with mace outside the theatre. “Officers responded to reports of people spraying each other with mace outside a theatre. Officers identified several people affected by a chemical irritant, including a woman who believed she had been the target of an attack,” reads the Minneapolis Police Department statement, cited by BroadwayWorld.

A representative of Hennepin Arts told the Bring Me the News portal that the spraying affected people on the sidewalk and spread into the theatre’s entrance lobby. “None of those involved in the incident had any connection with Hennepin Arts, the State Theatre or the show,” the representative stressed.

“The Rocky Horror Picture Show”, the cult film of 1975, is known for its traditional screenings with active audience participation, often in costume.