We are thrilled to announce that selected items from the Papers of Jim Sharman have recently been digitised and are now freely available online through Trove.  

The iconic Australian director and writer for film and stage has amassed an impressive list of credits to his name. Sharman is best known for directing The Rocky Horror Show, and later film adaptation, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which turns 50 this year.

Thanks to a generous bequest from the Estate of Frank van Straten AM, we have digitised 20 of Jim Sharman’s visual diaries and an original annotated Rocky Horror Picture Show script.

We’re shivering with antici.... pation! 

Jim Sharman’s visual diaries hold photographs, newspaper clippings and ephemera that inspired some of Australia’s greatest theatre and film productions. Charting Sharman’s career over many decades, they offer rare insight into his creative processes, not just for Rocky Horror, but across his other productions, including Jesus Christ Superstar and Hair. The papers also provide broader cultural and social context to the productions, and their public receptions.  

One highlight from this collection is the original screenplay for The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Adapted from the musical, and written by Sharman and Richard O’Brien, the film still retains a strong, multigenerational cult following to this day. The screenplay includes Sharman’s hand-written alterations throughout, as well as script alteration memos, illuminating how the screenplay changed as the production evolved, such as this one below: 

The screenplay also includes the shooting schedule and treatment, which summarises the story, characters and other creative aspects of the film:

Imagery pasted onto the cover and throughout the screenplay references aspects of visual culture which influenced the film’s intentional b-grade sci-fi aesthetic and quirky humour. 

It also reveals other influences which shaped the styling and costumes of several of the key characters, such as Rocky, Columbine, and Riff-Raff, who drew inspiration from Max Schreck’s Count Orlok, from the 1922 film, Nosferatu.

The screenplay contains some other unexpected gems, such as this letter, purportedly from the character Dr Frank N. Furter, responding to questions from his neighbour Mr Reindhart, about “a strange blue glow” and motorcycles in the area. Frank N. Furter responds that he was “...unaware that there was a problem with what I believe are commonly known as “bikies” in this area”:

With a bit of a page flip, you’re into the time slip... 

Another highlight from this collection are Sharman’s visual diaries, which offer a behind-the-scenes tour of Australian film and theatre of the 1960s and 1970s. The curated diaries are a unique look into the productions, inspirations, and personal life of one of Australia’s most prolific directors.

The sci-fi styling envisioned in the Rocky Horror script comes to life among the pages of the diaries; but it's the off-stage moments where they really shine, with behind-the-scenes photos capturing Tim Curry and Richard O’Brien at final London performance of Rocky Horror as well as moments from the cast recording. 

They also reflect how language and understanding of sexuality and gender has evolved since the 1970s, and offer an important record of the perception, promotion, and reception of Rocky Horror at the time.

The diaries include a copy of the 'Plays & Players 1973 Awards’ poll, as voted by the London Theatre Critics. The Rocky Horror Show was voted Best New Musical in 1973, among competition such as the London premieres of Gypsy and Grease. Even from its first moments on stage, Rocky Horror was in the spotlight:

They also feature photographs, programs, and news clippings from Hair, Lasseter, Threepenny Opera and more, documenting the characters, costumes, and styling from some of Sharman’s most iconic Australian 1970s theatre productions.

The diaries record the artistic, social and political climate of the time, pulling the curtain back on the inspiration and influences which shaped Sharman's directorial interests. Elements of science fiction, punk, and gothic horror are presented alongside major events and social issues.

Interested in exploring Sharman’s work? Don’t be upset – there's more from the vaults, including posters and production photographs. You can also hear from Sharman in his own words in this oral history from 1976. Jump to it – time is fleeting!