The Capping Show is the name given to the University of Otago

University of Otago

The University of Otago in Dunedin is New Zealand's oldest university with over 22,000 students enrolled during 2010.The university has New Zealand's highest average research quality and in New Zealand is second only to the University of Auckland in the number of A rated academic researchers it...

 student revue

Revue

A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century American popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own during its golden years from 1916 to 1932...

. This is a comedy revue full of offensive and entertaining skits. In previous years, there has been a main story line which has weaved through it little skits, bad puns and musical numbers. It touches on many of the current and not so current events of the past few years, satirizing people and problems in an uncommonly brash manner.

The Capping Show also features the comic talents of the Sexytet, the traditional Capping Sextet, the Selwyn Ballet

Selwyn College, Otago

Selwyn College is a residential college affiliated to the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand. It was founded by Bishop Samuel Tarratt Nevill as a theological college training clergy for the Anglican Church and as a hall of residence for students attending the university...

 and the Knox Farce.

Although it hasn't always been of the same format, the Capping Show has run since 1894 making it the world's second longest running student revue.

Format

The show generally follows the same format since the late-1990s, although there have been minor alterations.

First Half

• Prologue- briefly establishes the good guys or major plot background details.
• Opening Dance- the entire cast sings along to a musical parody of a contemporary song.
• Opening Scene- further develops good characters, usually foreshadows the arrival of the bad characters in scene 2. The opening scene usually ends once the quest has been established. Generally this quest involves a MacGuffin
  MacGuffin
  A MacGuffin is "a plot element that catches the viewers' attention or drives the plot of a work of fiction". The defining aspect of a MacGuffin is that the major players in the story are willing to do and sacrifice almost anything to obtain it, regardless of what the MacGuffin actually is...
  
   of some description.
• The remainder of the first quarter involves a mix of short and long form sketches usually completely unrelated to any of the characters in the opening scene.
• Second Scene- Establishes the bad guys, as well as their motivations for frustrating the good guys quest. Occasionally the good guys may appear in this scene briefly. The second scene generally ends with the bad guys resolving to meet the good guys in a conflict situation.
• Then there are more sketches/puns and possibly even a song parody. Again these are unrelated to the main sketch. Generally during this break the Sextet
  Sextet
  A sextet is a formation containing exactly six members. It is commonly associated with vocal or musical instrument groups, but can be applied to any situation where six similar or related objects are considered a single unit....
  
   perform their first set of songs, usually three of about 15 minutes in total duration. There has been a tendency over recent years for them to perform a series of medlies in place of individual songs. For this set the sextet generally wear clown/ pierrot costumes.
• Third Scene- The first real scene involving conflict between good guys and bad guys. It is likely that good guys may have a slight triumph over the bad guys only to find out that the bad guys have already established an even greater threat. The good guys attempts to thwart this main scheme form the backbone of the rest of the main sketch throughout the second half.
• After the third scene there are a small amount of other sketches. Since 2005 rather than writing a specific introductory sketch for the Selwyn Ballet there has been a tendency to introduce the ballet briefly at the end of a more physical sketch.
• The Selwyn Ballet then perform. This brings an end to the first half.

The Second Half

• The second half opens with the 4th scene of the main script. Usually picking up from where the action left off in scene 3. *Depending on whether there are 5 or 6 main sketch scenes scene 4 will end either establishing the final obstacle to be overcome by the good guys or laying the foundation for the final obstacle to emerge.
• Throughout the second half as well as the other sketches, Sextet and the female group Sexytet will perform a set of three songs each.
• The final scene. Usually the good guys triumph over the bad, but there has been a few occasions over the past 5 years where the conflict has been resolved by the good guys transforming the bad guys into good guys. The MacGuffin is found and the good guys win. The rest of the cast rushes onto stage for the final number- again a parodied contemporary music song.
• At the conclusion of this song- the Sextet (wearing evening dress- white ties and tails) sing a brief a capella parody of the parody- followed by Gaudeamus Igitur- the traditional way in which University of Otago Capping concerts finish.
• The cast then leave the theatre and clap the audience out in a blatant disregard for social norms.

Capping Show themes

• 2011- Let There Be Capping Show
• 2010- Alice in Cappingland
• 2009- Ghostbusters: The Capping Show
• 2008- The Capping Show Begins
• 2007- Pirates of the Capping Show
• 2006- 2 Crass 2 Humorous
• 2005- Back to the Capping Show
• 2004- 007: You Only Laugh Twice
• 2003- Scarfie Wars
• 2002- Harry Pothead gets the Philosopher Stoned
• 2001- Hannibal Lecturer
• 2000- Scarfies
• 1999- Otagotubbies
• 1998- Spice: The Capping Show
• 1997- Up The Deep End
• 1996- The Y Files
• 1995 - The Jesus Christ Not Again Capping Show
• 1994- Still Crazy After All These Years (Centenary show)
• 1990- Hokonui Jones and the Sword of Destiny
• 1989- Startrek
• 1986- Robin Hood

Famous and semi-famous past members

• David McPhail - Actor/Writer
• Jon Gadsby - Actor/Writer
• Jeremy Elwood - Stand Up Comedian/Actor
• Matt Gibb - Children's Television Host
• Tom Hazledine - Director/actor
• Chris Taine - Documentary Director
• Josh Thomson - Stand Up Comedian/Actor
• Roger Hall - Playwright
• Serena Cotton - Actor
• Samantha Jukes - Actor
• Timothy Foley - Actor
• Julie Noever - Theatre Director
• Mark Neilson - Actor/Writer
• Sam Smith - Writer/Comedian
• Andrew Munro - Actor