By Aaron Calvin
The Art of Healing, an annual event produced by the Progressive Students Union, was put on, once again, Tuesday night in Adams Playhouse. The event was advertised as a night of entertainment that would incorporate values concerning activism and awareness.
The event was free, but it was asked that you donate a certain amount of money to the Hempstead Boys and Girls Club. Throughout the program, the Long Island chapter of Food Not Bombs was also promoted.
Attendance was fairly weak this year, with only a smattering of people in the audience, and probably less than ten warm bodies present without obligation. The acts ranged from short films to a comedy duo, from acoustic guitar songs to karaoke performances. The event was hosted Amanda Beneway and Mary Kate Pedro, representatives of the P.S.U.
Despite the positive and well-meaning nature of The Art of Healing, it can only be described as a dismal failure. The talent was piecemeal and came off as ill rehearsed. Each act was crippled by the all-encompassing atmosphere of awkwardness perpetuated by the perfect storm of fumbling MCs, acts with little stage presence, and an overall air of disorganization.
The event started off interestingly enough, with a short film by Pedro concerning protests over the School of Americas, shedding light on a military training camp funded by tax payers that has produced many of South America’s most notorious despots. The event proceeded in a fairly linear downhill manner, proceeding with the acoustic songs of Max Ross, throwing in a self-penned tune concerning the accepting of a friend regardless of their sexuality with a few politically overt covers from Elvis Costello and U2. The first half ended with a fairly uncalled for karaoke performance.
After an intermission, the program continued with another short film, this time concerning Food Not Bombs, a fairly basic and informative documentary, but not much more than that. The finale of night, continuing with the precedent, had little continuity with the rest of the acts. Despite being admittedly a last minute call, the comedy duo was probably the most entertaining part of the evening. Whether that is sad or not remains unclear.
The Art of Healing is an event that has a lot of potential. With some more selective talent and bit more organization, it could be a popular and well-executed event. This year, however, did little in the way of healing.