By Clara Mooney ’13, Staff Writer

I don’t think that Coffeehouse’s theme this year was any coincidence. The Occupy movement has been one of mass interest and notable incoherence. It has garnered the media’s attention and criticism for its incredible turnout and also for its lack of a cohesive message. Nonetheless, it has spread and developed into a full fledged, living thing. In its essence, it’s a spectacle. Everyone seems to have an opinion on the occupiers including the protesters themselves. And, although you can say what you want about their faults and disorganization, you really can’t deny their zeal and apparent need to just do something – the one thing that has managed to hold them together is this incessant desire to protest and take action.

There are real parallels that can be drawn from this movement to Coffeehouse – an event that allows a sort of underground network to rise to the surface and to perform for a few hours on a Friday night in February. Coffeehouse has its own kind of rallying cry that reaches out to the creative bunch and says, “Hey! I know that we all do different things and have very different tastes, but what other opportunity are we going to have to perform for each other?” That’s the only real binding force among the Coffeehouse performers. We all want to take something we enjoy and show it off to everyone else. Performances vary from original poetry to Panic Switch and everything in between. For some, performing is a necessity. For others, it is a way to spice up the monotony of “Spring I.” And, for others still, it’s an accepted challenge to conquer something that had otherwise seemed horrifying.

But, we all respond to the cry.This group of isolated, underground performers comes together to create a support network for this one night. You don’t need to have had years of musical training or have spent months tweaking a piece of writing. It is enough to take the risk of putting yourself on a stage and feel proud that you did.

This is the part of Newark Academy that I really love. Coffeehouse takes on a life of its own because students at the Academy allow it. There is an unspoken understanding that this night is going to be impressive, yes, entertaining, yes, but it is also going to expose a musical, literary, and zealous current of our own at Newark Academy that clearly is seeking the right platform to flourish.

This year it felt like the secret was out. An audience managed to fill the auditorium and 27 acts graced the stage, which housed three stools, some mics and a piano. Gracie McNeely and Molly Alter bantered throughout the evening about “the government” and other Occupy themes. And, like the Occupy movement, Coffeehouse was infectious and more than just “the usual crowd” was able to bear witness to it this year. I truly feel that Coffeehouse is something needed — it revitalizes the community and produces immeasurable joy. due to its revitalizing nature and the irrefutable joy that it produces. I hope that it stays that way and never disappears from the Newark Academy calendar.