Java Hut 2012

16 February 2012Annie B

Last year, somebody lugged a couch from their dorm room all the way to the old cafeteria – the annual sight of Java Hut – and joined the rows of chairs, blankets and beanbags in the audience. A couch? Strange, to an outsider or a visiting parent, but completely explainable given the atmosphere of the student-led show. The seats occupied by those watching were in no way the neat red velvet of the Bunch Theater, but then again, the show that was put on last Saturday was incomparable to the neat, practiced Concert for a Winters Eve that the Bunch Theater also hosts.

Instead of concert dress or the stifling blazer and tie noosed up to the neck, the audience piled in (half an hour early, for good seats) in jeans, sweatpants and pajamas. The make-shift auditorium, small to begin with, was jam-packed – and here, the couch is explained. In a sea of dim lights and crowded bodies, having your own seats, slightly raised from the rest (with cushioned backs, no less), is an ideal place from which to watch the show.

What makes Java Hut special is not just the relaxed audience atmosphere (almost like sitting around a campfire, minus the flames), but the performers. This year, twenty seven acts took to the tiny stage, ranging from a elaborately metaphorical essay (courtesy of Mr. Collis) to a hastily thrown together tribute to the movie Step Brothers, from the soft crooning of Aidan C to The World’s Most Difficult Magic Trick, executed by Kevin K and his willing assistant David C. It isn’t just the variety of acts that makes the show what it is, but the sincerity behind the performances. Java Hut coaxes people who have never performed before onto the stage; it gives graduating students one more chance to sing or play for their school before leaving, but most of all, it creates an environment safe enough to forget the words, or sing a cappella when the backing music fails to start.

As a performer, this is the most amazing part: once the initial stage fright is overcome, there is nothing scary about singing or playing in front of the audience tucked into the old cafeteria. Without being preoccupied by fear, it is so much easier to have fun. Performers such as Ian J, Will R, Emily R and the Composition Rock Band showcased original material, and the Intermediate and Advanced Rock Bands belted out classics. The Hosts David C and Mairi H kept the show running smoothly and, at various points in the evening, with hilarity, as they introduced each act.

From both the performers and the audience, special thanks have to be given to Blaine W, Tyler A and Mr. Armitage along with all those who helped make Java Hut possible this year. It was a great way to spend Saturday night at Brentwood, filled with couches, good music, and generous applause. It was the last Java Hut for many of the Grade 12 performers and audience members as well as Mr. and Mrs. Pennells, and the first for many new students – who have now learned that, as well as bringing a welcoming attitude and tuned-up cat calls and wolf whistles, bringing your own seating arrangement is a pretty good idea.

Annie B

Where Students Choose To Be