Capping Show has hit Otago University for the 128th year running. This year’s theme: Campus Nine-Nine. Critic Te Ārohi sat down with Martha and Nina, two of the directors of the show, to get the lowdown.
With well over a century of shenanigans, the Capping Show has certainly been around for a hot minute. The legacy of Capping Show is one which is “hard to live up to,” said Martha. After all, the show’s “kept going” continued through at least two world wars, a cold war, the AIDS crisis, several financial crises and massive changes in the way society is structured. And then, of course, the ’Rona. Through it all, Nina’s said that “The humour’s changed quite a bit,” including “[getting] more sexual.” Truly a sign of the times. Speaking of sexy, a third year student and Capping Show band member said the “bass player is really hot.” We’ll take your word for it.
Thanks to Covid restrictions, the directors were forced to work to a tighter schedule this year. However, after having their full run throughs, Nina was confident, saying “it looks really good for something that was brought together within a really short time.”
Martha and Nina both agreed that the best part of Capping Show is “the people.” Part of the perks of Capping Show, admitted the directors, included sessions of “cast bonding… [with] a lot of partying… [and] just a little bit of drinking.” That said, spending so much time with the same people on a daily basis can be tiring: “it's kind of like being in lockdown with your flatmates,” said Martha. Yikes.
Despite Capping Show occurring over the stressiest part of the year, the directors aim to create a supportive space, maintaining a “uni first” motto. “We don't want anyone to be failing because of Capping,” said Martha, adding that “we want Capping to be a place where [the cast] can come and have fun.”
The people behind Capping Show come from a diverse range of backgrounds and walks of life, with 3 Samoan directors alongside Māori, Asian and Pākehā students. “There's no one person that's similar to another and I think that’s pretty cool,” said Martha. “It’s a really fun team to be part of,” said Alice.
Martha is hopeful that turnout is “good.” While it’s “a bit slow during the start of marketing,” this can be explained by the fact “Dunedin [students] have been known to buy tickets last minute and then sell out on like the last shows.” Laziness and spontaneity have brought us this far. Nina said that “regardless of how many people come,” they’ll put on a “good show.”
You can book your tickets here