Skule Nite
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[edit | edit source]
Early History[edit | edit source]
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[edit | edit source]
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[edit | edit source]
Four years later in 1973, as a tribute to the hundredth anniversary of the faculty and the fiftieth anniversary of the show, Michael Stanek resurrected Skule™ Nite, 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[edit | edit source]
| Year | Director | Producer | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-2024 | Thomas Dell | NΨ 2T1+3 | Cat Ye | CIV 2T3+PEY |
| Rhythm Loomba (Assistant Director) | NΨ 2T3+PEY | Caley McNeill (Assistant Producer) | INDY 2T5+PEY | |
| 2022-2023 | Anya Banning | Mech 2T1+PEY | Deniz Uzun | ECE 2T3+PEY |
| Emily Macdonald-Roach | Che 2T1+PEY | Nathalie Cristofaro (Assistant Producer) | Mech 2T2+PEY | |
| 2021-2022 | Stephanie McDonald | Mech 2T0+PEY+1 | Michael Cortese | Mech 2T2+PEY |
| Jacqueline Amoranto (Assistant Director) | NΨ 2T1+1 | Mackenzie Seward (Assistant Producer) | NΨ 2T1+1 | |
| 2020-2021 | Sofia Tijanic | ECE 1T9+PEY | Nicholas Popowich | ECE 2T0+PEY |
| Maya Dai (Assistant Producer) | Mech 2T1+PEY | |||
| 2019-2020 | Jenny Graydon | Indy 1T8 | Seif Sarofim | ECE 2T0+PEY |
| Julia Lobo (Assistant Director) | Che 1T8+PEY | Jonathan Norman (Assistant Producer) | MSE 1T9+PEY | |
| 2018-2019 | Johnny McGroarty | Che 1T7+PEY | Angela Ma | Che 1T8+PEY |
| Sean Pitre (Assistant Director) | NΨ 1T8+PEY | David Pech (Assistant Producer) | Mech 1T8+PEY | |
| 2017-2018 | Emma Sexton | Indy 1T6 | Linda Leung | Indy 1T8+PEY |
| Nikola Andric (Assistant Director) | Bio MEng 1T7 | Kevin Vincze (Assistant Producer) | Che 1T7+PEY | |
| 2016-2017 | Justin Hugh | Mech 1T3 | Alex Perelgut | NΨ 1T6+PEY |
| Savannah Forest (Assistant Producer) | Civ MASc 1T9 | |||
| 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) | Che 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 | Che 1T4 | |||
| 2011-2012 | Jonny Sun | NΨ 1T1+PEY | Wayne Lin | Indy 1T1+PEY |
| Ian Parker (Assistant Producer) | Min 1T2+1 | |||
| 2010-2011 | Mason Lau | Che 0T8 | Katerina Daginis | Che 1T1 |
| Chris Tuff (Assistant Director) | Che 1T0 | |||
| 2009-2010 | Daniel Marquez | Indy 0T8+1 | Katerina Daginis | Che 1T1 |
| Mason Lau (Assistant Director) | Che 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 |
| 1992-1993 | Lydia Van Der Veen | Che 8T8 | Karri Paradi | Ind 9T4 |
| 1991-1992 | Ed Bonner | BSc (Math) 9T3 | Michelle (Radford) Barnes & Jason Pilon | ??? & MMS 0T1 |
| 1990-1991 | Donna Cieszynska | Indy 9T0 | Andre Angelantoni | Civ 3rd year |
| 1989-1990 | Franco Minatel | Mech 8T6 | Hayley Ohlig | Ind 9T0 |
| 1988-1989 | Jovanni Sy | Ind 8T8? |
Kenneth Kiang | Ele 9T0 |
| 1987-1988 | Alec McTavish | NΨ 8T7 | Tom Meadowcroft | NΨ 8T8 |
| 1986-1987 | Jerome Madden | Physical Geography 8T7 | Larry Breakwell | NΨ 8T9 |
| 1985-1986 | Ron Williams & Lynette Fairweather | NΨ 8T4 & Mech 8T5 |
Ron Dizy | Ind 8T7 |
| 1984-1985 | Steve Roberts | BSc(Psy) 1T7 | Lee Verhoeff | Civ 8T6 |
| 1983-1984 | Wayne Levin | Ind 8T4 | Lee Verhoeff | Civ 8T6 |
| 1982-1983 | Rob West | Che 8T1 | Ira Rotenberg | Ind 8T6 |
| 1981-1982 | Parvez Patel | NΨ 8T1 | Judith Vosko | NΨ 8T4 |
| 1980-1981 | Jan Piekoszewski | Civ 8T0 | Nancy Brown | NΨ 8T1 |
| 1979-1980 | Peter Nelson | NΨ 7T9 | Graham Skells & Pierre Gagnon | NΨ 8T1 & 7T9 |
| 1978-1979 | Mark Ewen | Mech 7T8 | Graham Skells | NΨ 8T1 |
| 1977-1978 | Paul Baker | NΨ 7T5 | Graham Skells | NΨ 8T1 |
| 1976-1977 | Jim Podolak | Civ 7T5 | Bruce Dodds | Mech 7T7 |
| 1975-1976 | Deborah (Waddell) Morris | Che 7T7 | Mike Henry | Mech 7T6 |
| 1974-1975 | Stephen Cress | ELE 7T5 | Michael Cox | ELE 7T5 |
| 1973-1974 | Sylvia (Gibb) Young | Ind 7T5 | Rick Fletcher | Mech 7T3 |
| Sheryl Prowse | A&S | |||
| 1972-1973 | Michael Stanek | Ind 7T3 | Rick Fletcher | Mech 7T3 |
| 1965-1966 | Fred Benzaquen | ELE 6T8 | Andris Skuja | NΨ 6T6 |
| 1963-1964 | Andris Skuja | NΨ 6T6 | Joseph Gilling | Mech 6T5 |
| 1961-1962 | Brock West | Grant Coffey | Civ 6T2 | |
| 1948-1949 | Garth McDowell | Bill Walker | ||
| 1920-1921 | C.T. Carson | |||
| J. McKnight | ||||