ULTRAVIRES.CA
September 26, 2024
VOL. 26 ISS. 1
Ultra Vires
THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO FACULTY OF LAW
Faculty Kicks Off 75th Year Celebrations With Follies 75 The evening brought together a host of legal celebrities MEGAN CORBETT (3L)
PASTDEANSOFUOFTLAW(RIGHTTOLEFT:UNIVERSITYPROFESSOREMERITUSMARTINFRIEDLAND,1972-1979;THEHON.FRANKIACOBUCCI,19791983;J.ROBERTS.PRICHARD,1984-1990;THEHON.ROBERTSHARPE,1990-1995;RONALDJ.DANIELS),1995-2005;FIRSTDEANEMERITAMAYOMORAN, 2006-2014; EDWARD IACOBUCCI), 2015-2020; AND DEAN SINCE 2021, JUTTA BRUNNÉE). CREDIT: ALICE XUE PHOTOGRAPHY
CREDIT: ALICE XUE PHOTOGRAPHY
If any event could be called a veritable who’s-who of the Canadian legal f ield, it took place on Saturday, September 14, at the Isabel Bader theatre. Gathered into the theatre was a crowd of familiar faces: Justice Abella (in a fabulous white-and-glitter twopiece ensemble), Dean Jutta Brunnée, Professors A idid, A larie, Cossman, Niblett, and R ipstein, as well as a small contingent of current law students. There were also some less familiar, but no less impressive g uests: Bob Rae, U of T Law alumnus and current Canadian ambassador to the United Nations (who was escorted onto the stage by a live f ive-piece band), as well as ever y former dean of the law school right up to Martin Friedland. W hat event could bring together such an esteemed cast of legal rockstars, you may wonder? The k ickof f event to the Law Facult y’s 75th anniversar y celebrations, of course! It has been 75 years since the founding of the modern Facult y of Law at the Universit y, and to mark the occasion, the Facult y has planned an entire year’s worth of events. To initiate this long slate of celebrations, a team of alumni and current students banded together to put on a show inspired by the Facult y’s long-running comedy revue show, Law Follies. This ‘Follies 75’ show was a mix of live and recorded sketches, featuring some classic premises, like the ‘Back In My Day’ sketch performed by the professors (with Professor Phillips lamenting how lucky modern students are to have a librar y, professors, and exam questions), as well as some delightfully fresh sketches, like Professor Niblett’s ‘A re You Smarter Than a 1L’ and the
‘Bora’s Head’ heritage minute. A special mention goes out to the brief musical improv sketch, performed by g uests from the Second Cit y Toronto. One of these g uests was Paul Constable, a Canadian actor and comedian who readers would recognize as a g uy they def initely know from T V, or a commercial, or somewhere. The Second Cit y g uests performed an improv ised power ballad based on 3L Br ynne Dalmao’s prompts, prov iding the audience with the essential reminder that “the fourth L is life”. The show even featured a dig ital shoutout from Dav id Shore, notable Facult y of Law alumnus and creator of hit T V shows House and T he Good Doctor, announcing the creation of a ‘Gregor y House’ scholarship for exceptional law students in f inancial need. Shore has a special tie to the Law Follies tradition, hav ing been the ver y f irst emcee at the debut Follies in 1982. The show was followed by a reception in the Jackman atrium, featuring another live band, two bars, and a generous spread of canapés. A lumni and students mingled, reminiscing over Follies past and commenting on their favourite sketches of the evening. Of course, many noted that nothing could ever live up to the comedic st ylings of the student-run Follies club, which generously shared its branding with the event. Keep an eye out for news about other upcoming 75th anniversar y celebration events, as Follies 75 marked only the beg inning of this milestone year. Editor’s Note: Megan Corbett (3L) is a member of Follies.
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