The University of Sydney plays host to a wide variety of comedy revues each year, each typically tied to a faculty or identity group. Each revue features comedy sketches, songs and videos written and performed by students, usually commenting satirically on current affairs, the supporting faculty and general student life.
The Revues are casual student production, and as such are prone to production issues, such as when Engineering Revue was infamously saved in 2015 by a group of past-performers sourced from multiple revues whom put together a show in 2 days after the original cast fell through. The show trended across the country.
Most of the revues are performed in the Seymour Centre on the university's Darlington campus. Tickets range between $10 and $25, with various discounts for students. The revues are supported financially and administratively by the University of Sydney Union (USU) and presented in collective "seasons".[1] The Revues range in budget and cast size, with the Faculty Revues using larger venues, and higher budgets as a result of Faculty funding.[2]
Past revuers have gone on to perform, write and produce shows in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the New York Fringe Festival, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, the Adelaide and Melbourne Fringe Festivals, in groups such as The Chaser, The Aunty Jack Show, The Ronny Johns Half Hour, The Axis of Awesome, Ben Jenkins & The Delusionists, and the Cloud Girls on triple j.[3]
History
Originally there was a single Revue performing at USYD made up of a few larger sketch performances, each sponsored by a college, individual group, or the University Dramatic Society (SUDS).[4] The 1930 revue was also considered an 'inter-varsity night', and was part of a week long festival at the University called "Nunc est Bibendum".[5] The revues in this first decade were loose performances in which individual acts could submit without a single producer overseeing the show, instead relying on a production staff to link the sketches for performance.[6] Most of the large acts in this revue were created by the colleges. The Revue halted performances in 1941 due to World War II.[7]
In 1944, the University of Sydney Students' Representative Council formed a new Revue Committee with the purpose of revitalising the Revue.[7] This led to the first Revue Society being officially formed in an attempt to better manage a group to foster a "nucleus of talent" in 1948.[8]
Following the revival of the USYD Revue, other revues were formed during the 1960s, with 13 revues performing in 2017. The original four Faculty revues were made up of students from Medicine, Law, Architecture and Engineering.[3]
Of the revues, the largest are the Arts Revue, Science Revue, Med Revue and Law Revue. Engineering Revue has been staged in Manning Bar since 2006, and Commerce Revue made its debut in 2008. A Pharmacy Revue was planned for 2009, but was cancelled/postponed. The growing number of faculty revues has led to certain revues developing their own individual character, such as the Science Revue, which is known less for science specific humour, and instead for the work of its distinct troupes of singers, dancers and band, who work alongside the actors.[9]
Since 2013 a Best Of show, usually named University of Sydney Revue, has been staged as a part of the Sydney Comedy Festival, which is composed of the best performers and scenes from the previous season.
With Womn's Revue first performed in 2007, and Queer Revue in 2010, the set of Identity Revues has expanded in recent years with productions including Jew Revue, POC Revue and International Revue. From 2016 onwards, a separate, earlier Revue Season was created for the Identity Revues during the first semester of the university calendar.[10]
The popularity of revues saw a decrease, with steady drops in ticket sales recorded in 2016 from the past few years.[10]Lockdowns in 2020 resulted in an almost non existent 2020 revue season, which put strain on revues such as International Revue, which dissolved as a society in 2022.[11]
Faculty Revues
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Science Revue
The Science Revue debuted in its current iteration in 2006. The Revue is best known for having a large cast, with 92 cast members in the 2008 production.[12] This has led to the development of distinct troupes (Acting, Singing, Dancing and Band), who all contribute to the sketch development (the band being the last to join this process in 2017).[13] Science Revue is also one of the few revues to consistently use the York Theatre, the largest theatre available at the Seymour Centre.
Since 2006, Science Revue has donated profits to cystic fibrosis care and research charities, including Cystic Fibrosis Foundation from 2014,[14] and currently Cystic Fibrosis Community Care.[15]
Band Revue
In the wake of the success of the Science Revue band in 2019, members of the production and others created a one off 'Band Revue' as part of the Sydney University Dramatic Society (SUDS) 'Summer Slots,' running off the limited budget provided by SUDS.[16] Marketed as a "Science Revue Fundraiser", it received positive reviews for its 3 night run.[17]
Engineering Revue
Engineering Revue has a history of not being supported by the USU, instead running as an ad hoc organisation. The Revue was known for being planned at the last minute and featuring large amounts of both alcohol and heckling, by both audience and performers.[18][19] Due to numerous bans from performance venues on campus, Engineering Revue 2023 was held in PNR Lecture Theatre 1.[20]
In the 2025 Revue season, Engineering Revue has reformed and is both supported by the USU and returning to the Seymour Centre as a venue.
Architecture Revue
The Architecture Revue was founded in 1967, with the original production team featuring Grahame Bond. The Revue was held in the Union Theatre (now the Footbridge Theatre). Reviewers described the revue as expensive and required a large amount of work.[21] The Revue is not currently ongoing.
Identity Revues
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POC Revue
POC (People of Colour) Revue debuted in 2015, under the name ACAR Revue (Autonomous Collective Against Racism), as a response to the lack of POC cast and crew in other revues at the time. The 2015 production was described as a "test run" given its unorthodox venue and rushed production.[22] The Revue was rebranded as POC Revue from 2017 onwards.
Womn's Revue
Womn's Revue debuted in 2007 as "Women's Revue", returning in 2009, and then going on Hiatus until it was reestablished in 2015 as "Wom*n's Revue".[23] From 2017 the show has been titled "Womn's Revue".[24] The show is described as specifically "written, directed, performed and produced by those who identify as, or have lived experience as womn!"[25]
Queer Revue
Queer Revue debuted in 2010, as a show specifically for both members of the Queer Community, and allies. In recent years, Queer Revue has differed from other Revues by having 3 Directors, as seen in 2017,[26] 2019,[27] 2022[28] and 2023.[29]
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