Skule Nite

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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

Early 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.

Early Hart House Era

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.

Modern Era

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
2015-2016 Michael Manning NΨ 1T3+PEY Patrice Boisclair-Laberge ECE 1T5+PEY
Kevin Hugh (Assistant Director) CSC 1T6+PEY Massimo Gordillo Indy 1T5+PEY
2014-2015 Sean Sit Indy 1T2+PEY Shashwat Sharma NΨ 1T3+PEY
Michael Manning (Assistant Director) NΨ 1T3+PEY Laura Burget (Assistant Producer) Chem 1T6
2013-2014 Navid Nourian NΨ 1T2+PEY Jad Knayzeh NΨ 1T3+PEY
Sandra Sousa (Assistant Director) ECE 1T3 Patrice Boisclair-Laberge ECE 1T5
2012-2013 Christopher Sun NΨ 1T3+PEY Amanda Bell Indy MASc 1T4
Scott Whitty NΨ 1T3+PEY Ian Parker Min 1T2+1
Chunkei Tang Chem 1T4
2011-2012 Jonny Sun NΨ 1T1+PEY Wayne Lin Indy 1T1+PEY
Ian Parker (Assistant Producer) Min 1T2+1
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 NΨ 0T4
Carolyn Hicks Civ 0T7+PEY
2005-2006 Leona Smith MSE 0T6 Alice Xu Arts 0T5
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 Agnes Jedrzejewski Comp 0T2 Donovan Pollitt Min 0T3
2001-2002 Mike Wood Min 0T2 Tiffany Conroy NΨ 0T1+1
2000-2001 Chris Langley NΨ 9T8 Glenn Hauck ?
1999-2000 Aryn Pyke COMP 9T5 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 Elec 9T4 Trevor Mills NΨ 9T8+PEY

List of Skule Nite Shows