Spex (theatre)

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, and Linköping have long-running 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.

Theatre

Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music, and dance. Elements of art and stagecraft are used to enhance the physicality, presence and immediacy of the experience. The specific place of the performance is also named by the word "theatre" as derived from the Ancient Greek θέατρον (théatron, "a place for viewing"), itself from θεάομαι (theáomai, "to see", "to watch", "to observe").

Modern Western theatre comes, in large measure, from ancient Greek drama, from which it borrows technical terminology, classification into genres, and many of its themes, stock characters, and plot elements. Theatre artist Patrice Pavis defines theatricality, theatrical language, stage writing, and the specificity of theatre as synonymous expressions that differentiate theatre from the other performing arts, literature, and the arts in general.

Broadway theatre

Coordinates: 40°45′21″N 73°59′11″W / 40.75583°N 73.98639°W / 40.75583; -73.98639

Broadway theatre, commonly known as Broadway, refers to the theatrical performances presented in the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theater District and Lincoln Center along Broadway, in Manhattan, New York City. Along with London's West End theatres, Broadway theatres are widely considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English-speaking world.

The Theater District is a popular tourist attraction in New York City. According to The Broadway League, Broadway shows sold a record US$1.36 billion worth of tickets in 2014, an increase of 14% over the previous year. Attendance in 2014 stood at 13.13 million, a 13% increase over 2013.

The great majority of Broadway shows are musicals. Historian Martin Shefter argues, "'Broadway musicals,' culminating in the productions of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein, became enormously influential forms of American popular culture" and helped make New York City the cultural capital of the nation.

Theatre (band)

Theatre was an experimental mathcore outfit formed in the lower suburbs of Somerset West, South Africa in 2008. They bring genre-smashing music to the foreground that is both unique in construction and chaotic in design, which is brought forth by means of a notably destructive yet emotive performance, with "live shows that truly defy the norm".

History

Theatre started out, as any new project would, as a simple concept which came about when brothers, Tarquin and Byron Jones of the late Eve Of My Collapse began collaborating with JJ van Rooyen, former frontman of Era Of The Hero. After welcoming members Schalk Venter and Duke Negus, the band was set to begin writing. The writing process was difficult and intricate, as the band was yet to find its true sound. In early 2009, Schalk stepped down from his position as bassist, but remained a part of the band as art director and occasional percussionist. Theatre, quickly filled the position with former-Era bassist, Jacques Jordaan. The band was complete and ready to hit the stage.

Spex (magazine)

Spex is a prominent German rock and pop culture magazine located in Berlin, Germany. Besides music news, Spex also covers literature, cinema, fashion and contemporary social trends. Since January 2008, Spex is headquartered in Berlin and includes an audio CD.

History

The foundation

The paper's first issue was published in Cologne in 1980 by a small group of writers who decided to found their own music paper: they were Gerald Hündgen, Clara Drechsler, Dirk Scheuring, Wilfried Rütten and Peter Bömmels. They first considered naming it 555 but finally pitched on Spex – which means "glasses" in English slang. The name Spex reminds of the then very famous punk band X-Ray Spex. The magazine was initially distributed in record stores and railway stations. The articles were not as elaborate as those in comparable magazines, as the objective was to present new young artists. Four issues were published in the first year. Spex turned monthly in 1981. In 1983 its main competitor, Sounds, closed down. That paper addressed very modern artists and tendencies like punk, new wave and the German new wave. Most of its editorial team was hired to work for Spex, like Diedrich Diederichsen (forthcoming editor) or Olaf Dante Marx. The articles took a new turn, more theoretical and more literary.

SPEX (astronomy)

SPEX (the Spectropolarimeter for Planetary EXploration) is a single-channel, high-precision polarimeter for the characterization of planetary atmospheres. It is intended for planetary science missions, but it could with minor modifications also be used for Earth observation by a microsatellite, such as the Dutch FAST-D project.

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