The evening begins with classic Toad’s Place administrator Dan Santoro in conversation with filmmaker Rich Hanley. Drawing on his years at the legendary New Haven music venue, Santoro will share stories about his connections to the Coliseum, Toad’s Place and other memorable people, places and moments from New Haven’s entertainment history.
The conversation will be followed by a screening of Hanley’s 77-minute documentary, Last Days at the Coliseum, and an audience Q&A.
Whether you attended concerts, hockey games, wrestling matches or other events at the Coliseum—or simply want to learn more about this important piece of New Haven history—we invite you to join us for an evening of stories, memories and local history.
The Historic Anchor Bar will be open throughout the evening, with drinks and snacks available for purchase.
Friday, October 2, 2026
Doors Open: 5:00 PM
Start your journey back in time by exploring the artifacts!
Conversation Begins: 6:00 PM
Looking back at the New Haven Coliseum and more.
Film Screening and Q&A to Follow
Last Days of the Coliseum(Runtime - 77mins)
Tickets: $15 in advance or at the door
About Your Hosts
Dan Santoro
Dan Santoro is a 1981 graduate of Southern CT State College who is an amateur historian and a lover of a good time with old friends.
Even though he moved to Florida in 1986 he has maintained ties to many of his pals and the history of his adopted home town of New Haven. He has groups on Facebook about concerts and other events at the old NH Coliseum, Toad’s Place, the Yale Bowl and other music venues from across the city and has supported the Lost in New Haven museum with artifacts and historical information.
Dan has also authored two books about the Fort Lauderdale beach area and has been involved in the social scene there for decades.
Rich Hanley
Rich Hanley is a Professor Emeritus of Journalism at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. A graduate of the University of New Haven ’78 and Wesleyan University ‘93, Hanley served as a journalist for local, national and global media for 23 years in print, television and online before joining Quinnipiac as a tenured professor in 2001. He has produced, written and directed several Emmy-nominated documentaries for CPTV and PBS, including The Last Days of the Coliseum (2010) and, most recently, The Jump (2025). His 1994 documentary Remember When stands as the most-watched and biggest-selling documentary in CPTV history.
At Quinnipiac, Hanley oversaw graduate programs in journalism and interactive media for many years in addition to his teaching. He founded the university’s sports journalism graduate program in 2014. Hanley continues to teach the popular Story of Football class and other classes at the school.
In 2007, Hanley received the Charter Oak Society Distinguished Faculty Member Award from Quinnipiac, and in 2017 he became the first-ever Frank H. Netter School of Medicine Outstanding Capstone Mentor for his work with a medical student in developing studies and training programs for youth hockey coaches to spot concussion symptoms in their players. In 2023, Hanley received the Neilson Award for Excellence in Teaching. He is frequently interviewed by news media on the intersection of politics and technology, appearing in media outlets ranging from the New York Times to Variety to offer insights into the origins and distribution of disinformation through social media among other topics of vital interest to journalism.