Kalmar Nation plans to add a new flourish to a beloved Swedish tradition by producing Lund’s first English-language spex. “VladDracula: Birth of a Legend” commenced its auditions last week.
The original proposal to make an English-language production came from one of Kalmar’s regular cast members.
–I suggested that Kalmar put on an English spex. International students sometimes see spex shows, but it’s not fun for them when the show is entirely in Swedish, said Inga Tuminaite, a molecular biology student from Lithuania.
–It’s fitting that we will attempt the first of its kind, given Kalmar’s many international members, says Isabella Passlov, Kalmar’s spex director.
This decision to change direction has prompted changes to the production process. This was the first time that the organizers held auditions, rather than relying on the same cast from the previous term.
–This being an English spex, it’s only natural that we afford international students the chance to perform, said Isabella.
–We are also curious to see how our usual cast members perform in their second language. It’s one thing to speak English in normal conversation; it’s another to act and sing comfortably in it, said Olof Persson, Isabella’s directing partner.
Every audition followed the same routine. Each person read two sets of lines, often in multiple accents at the directors’ request. As spex shows involve musical numbers, every audition concluded with a short song, testing the performer’s versatility.
–We identify their strengths, and then see if they match well with one of our characters, explained Isabella.
Confronted with a challenge that no spex director has faced before, Isabella and Olof are naturally nervous about the show’s reception.
–It’s exciting to break new ground, while at the same time frightening because we don’t know how the audience will respond. But if the show is successful, we could certainly imagine doing future productions in English as well, said Isabella.
