Skule Nite

Skule Nite 0T9 Opening Act

Skule Nite is a musical revue / comedy / sketch show run entirely by Engineering students at the University of Toronto. It is put on annually at Hart House, and is a professional-level production done entirely by volunteers.

History

The origins of Skule™ Nite can be traced back to the early years of the 20th century. At that time, there was no show as such, but frequently students and professors would perform short skits and musical ensembles at social events during the year. In 1920, the Engineering Society appointed a Stunt Night Committee to bring together all these scattered dramatic efforts into one show. There was so much interest in this idea that it was decided Massey Hall should be rented for the performance. At 8:30pm, on Wednesday, March 2, 1921, a entitled “Ngynyrs in SPaSms” was performed there with overwhelming success. The show contained eleven skits, ranging from "the Toronto Dislocation Commission" to "the Adventures of Chloreen". The show was accompanied by a student band called the "Toike Oikestra". The show was such a success that it was repeated verbatim the following year, with attendance of over 2000.

In 1923, the show was moved to Hart House. At the time, Hart House was only open to male students due to the stipulation of its founder, the Massey Foundation. However, Hart House could be opened to both genders for special events, so in order to “bring the lady friends into the House to enjoy all the facilities that it had to offer,” the Engineering Society organized "Faculty Night", a comprehensive showcase of displays and events put on by engineering students and departments of which the theatrical presentation was only a small part. At the same time, a new format of Skule Nite, combining a variety of theatrical reviews and displays, competitions and dancing, was established, and continued as such for over twenty years. In 1940′s, as the show evolved into the extravagant evening of theatre known today, so much time and effort was being put into production of the theatrical portion of Skule Nite that no time or support was left for the other events. The 'Revue', as it was referred at the time, became Skule Nite.

At the close of World War II, during which Skule Nite had been cancelled once (in 1942) and displaced to the Royal Ontario Museum (in 1944), the show was moved to the fall and for the first time began to have an entire year of production behind it. Every aspect of the show was ramped up and the professionalism of the acting, singing, dancing and effects escalated. This trend continued for twenty years, until attendance at Skule Nite began to drop off in the mid-1960's. As a result, in 1968 the Engineering Society decided to put on a Broadway musical, "Stop the World, I Want to Get Off", in place of Skule Nite. The show flopped and EngSoc was left stuck in debt from the production costs, leading to the cancellation of Skule Nite for the foreseeable future.

Four years later in 1973, as a tribute to the hundredth anniversary of the faculty and the fiftieth anniversary of the show, Skule™ Nite was resurrected, originally intended to be one time only. The success of that show, however, supported by an enthusiastic coterie of enthusiasts of the theatre, has resulted in a unbroken run of theatrical delights since that time. In 2000, the production moved to current format of 5 shows in 4 days.

Skule Nite Directors and Producers

Year	Director		Producer
2010-2011	Mason Lau	Chem 0T8	Katerina Daginis	Chem 1T1
	Chris Tuff (Assistant Director)	Chem 1T0
2009-2010	Daniel Marquez	Indy 0T8+1	Katerina Daginis	Chem 1T1
	Mason Lau (Assistant Director)	Chem 0T8	Alvin Ho	Elec 0T9+PEY
2008-2009	Kian Marandi	Mech 0T7+2	Rossana Rodriguez	Indy 1T0+1
			Steven Szeto	Indy 0T9
2007-2008	Jordan Silverman	Mech 0T7	Steven Szeto	Indy 0T9
2006-2007	Chris Peressotti	NΨ 0T1	Don McAuslan	?
			Carolyn Hicks	Civ 0T7+PEY
2005-2006	Leona Smith	MSE 0T?	?	?
2004-2005	Jon Hoss	NΨ 0T4+PEY	Matthew Szeto	Comp 0T3+1
2003-2004	Jane Lam	Chem 0T2	Carrie Smith	NΨ 0T3+PEY
	Chris Langley (Assistant Director)	NΨ 0T2	Matthew Szeto	Comp 0T3+1
2002-2003	?	?	?	?
2001-2002	Mike Wood	?	Tiffany Conroy	?
2000-2001	Chris Langley	NΨ 9T8	Glenn Hauck	?
1999-2000	Aryn Pyke	Elec ?T?	Wilfred Lam	NΨ 0T0
1998-1999	Kern Lewin	NΨ 9T7	Xavier Galvez	Comp 9T9+PEY
1997-1998	Trevor Mills	NΨ 9T8+PEY	Kristin Hofstee	NΨ 9T8
1996-1997	Alex Hatzivassilis	?	Trevor Mills	NΨ 9T8+PEY

List of Skule Nite Shows

• Skule Nite 1T1
• Skule Nite 1T0
• Skule Nite 0T9
• Skule Nite 0T8