Spex (theatre)
Encyclopedia
Spex is a kind of amateur comedy
theatre act performed by university students in Sweden
and parts of Finland
. University cities, such as Gothenburg
, Lund
, Uppsala
, Umeå
, and Linköping
have long going traditions of spex.
The word is likely derived from abbreviated student slang for spektakel (spectacle; scene; show).
Prominent features of spexes are the musical-like mix of spoken text and songs, the often rhymed dialogue, a good amount of satire and parody and the tradition of having the audience shout "Restart!" (Swedish: Omstart!/Omtag!) or "One more time!" (Swedish: En gång till!) if they consider the current scene especially hilarious. Ideally, the actor should then improvise the scene or punchline in a new way. The fact that the audience plays an active part in the performance is what distinguishes spex from other forms of theatre. There are also several other commands that the audience can give, for instance demanding that the actors should perform the scene in question backwards, in slow-motion, in another language, until the actors know their lines, or perhaps in a more violent fashion.
The first spexes in Finland were produced in Helsinki University of Technology in the beginning of the 20th Century.
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
theatre act performed by university students in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and parts of Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. University cities, such as Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
, Lund
Lund
-Main sights:During the 12th and 13th centuries, when the town was the seat of the archbishop, many churches and monasteries were built. At its peak, Lund had 27 churches, but most of them were demolished as result of the Reformation in 1536. Several medieval buildings remain, including Lund...
, Uppsala
Uppsala
- Economy :Today Uppsala is well established in medical research and recognized for its leading position in biotechnology.*Abbott Medical Optics *GE Healthcare*Pfizer *Phadia, an offshoot of Pharmacia*Fresenius*Q-Med...
, Umeå
Umeå
- Transport :The road infrastructure in Umeå is well-developed, with two European highways passing through the city. About 4 km from the city centre is the Umeå City Airport...
, and Linköping
Linköping
Linköping is a city in southern middle Sweden, with 104 232 inhabitants in 2010. It is the seat of Linköping Municipality with 146 736 inhabitants and the capital of Östergötland County...
have long going traditions of spex.
The word is likely derived from abbreviated student slang for spektakel (spectacle; scene; show).
Prominent features of spexes are the musical-like mix of spoken text and songs, the often rhymed dialogue, a good amount of satire and parody and the tradition of having the audience shout "Restart!" (Swedish: Omstart!/Omtag!) or "One more time!" (Swedish: En gång till!) if they consider the current scene especially hilarious. Ideally, the actor should then improvise the scene or punchline in a new way. The fact that the audience plays an active part in the performance is what distinguishes spex from other forms of theatre. There are also several other commands that the audience can give, for instance demanding that the actors should perform the scene in question backwards, in slow-motion, in another language, until the actors know their lines, or perhaps in a more violent fashion.
History
The first spexes were made as early as in the 16th century in Uppsala, Sweden. Local students were practising Latin by making Latin plays which were called spexes. Since all the students at that time were men, all the actors were men as well. During the next 300 years the spexes developed into their modern form.The first spexes in Finland were produced in Helsinki University of Technology in the beginning of the 20th Century.
See also
- :sv:Kårspexet (in swedish)
- Lundaspexarna (in Swedish)
- Ett teknat spex på Uppsala Universitet (mostly in Swedish)
- Linköpings studentspex (mostly in Swedish)
- Holgerspexet in Linköping (mostly in Swedish)
- Dalaspexet (contains section in English)
- iSpexet på KTH (mostly in Swedish)
- Teekkarispeksi (Helsinki University of Technology) (mostly in Finnish)
- Umeå Medicinarspex (in Swedish)
- Fysikalen (in Swedish)
- Filosofspexet, Göteborg (in Swedish)
- Helsingkronaspexet, Lund (in English)
- Fyysikkospeksi, Fyysikkokilta at Helsinki University of Technology (in Finnish)
- F-Spexet at Chalmers, Gothenburg (in Swedish)
- Wermlandsspexet, Lund (contains section in English)