Capping Show
Each year the Capping Show is roughly 2 hours long and made up of comedy sketches and musical numbers.
At the height of its popularity, the Capping Concert produced almost half the yearly income of the Otago University Students' Association.
The theme is usually either based on a pop culture movie/book (e.g Batman) or a general idea (e.g. the end of the world).
While it does not happen every year, other musical numbers can occur throughout the show that don't relate to the main sketch.
The Capping Sextet is a male voice ensemble consisting of six members who sing three songs during each half of the show.
In 1905 the group was listed as the ‘Coon Tableau and Cake Walk’ and in 1906 they were called a ‘Character Quartette’.
A student at the university during this period, Arthur Porritt (later Queen's Surgeon and Governor General of New Zealand), recalled that, ‘they were always an excellent turn – topical, amusing, lively and energetic’.
Originally the Sextet appeared in dinner suits and later tailcoats and from the 1930s they sang one half of the show in clown costumes.
Among the members at this time was Bryan Drake who would go on to create various roles in world premieres of music by Benjamin Britten.
Keith Monagan, a member from 1948 to 1951, recalled in a letter that ‘To attain membership of the Sextet was the height of ‘having arrived’ at university.
The Sextet and its equally long running companion Selwyn Ballet lapsed in 1973 as the Capping Committee decided to put on a play.
The revue format of the show returned in 1975 and the Sextet and Selwyn Ballet resumed their traditional duties.
They were given free licence to do what they wanted with the format, but knew that songs of the topical nature were part of the show’s history.
It was at this time that the 4–6-part harmony developed through the arranging skills of Richard Madden and the influence of a visit to Dunedin by the Kings’ Singers in 1972.
Notable former members include Peter Chin, Sir William Southgate, Bryan Drake, Dr John Borrie, Geoffrey de Lautour, Roger Wilson, Piri Sciascia, Richard Madden, Martin Snell, Simon O'Neill, Jonathan Lemalu, Tecwyn Evans, and Robbie Schmidt.
Less well-known members include Mark Wigglesworth, Dominic Edmond, and Jack Fisher.
The Sexytet is the female a cappella singing group, formed as a all-girls counterpart to the sextet.
Over the years Capping Concerts have included orchestral and band items, waxworks, magic acts, skating acts, haka, negro spirituals, Knox and faculty farces, modern dance (contributed by Dance Arts, the pioneering New Zealand modern dance company based at the Phys Ed school), Dunedin Sound rock groups (Sneaky Feelings and the Verlaines), a Roger Hall play ("The Quiz" in its world premiere production) and female impersonators.
The most artistically ambitious period of the Capping Concert's history was the early 1970s when, under the direction of Marshall Seifert, Feet (a parody version of Hair), compressed versions of Jesus Christ, Superstar and Tommy were presented along with two original rock operas, one inspired by a Colin McCahon painting and the other written by members of the successful Dunedin rock group, Mother Goose.
Rape Crisis Dunedin declined to be the Otago University Students Association (OUSA) official Capping Show charity for that year.
