Brokenanny: Chapter 11 in the Book of Hootenanny Legend

Brokenanny.

We’ve all heard the talk.
“They don’t have any money this year.”
“The show isn’t gonna be as good as last year.”
“There’s no way they can top last year’s intensity…especially if they’re broke.”

Disheartening words, comrades. No one wants a lame Hootenanny. It just wouldn’t be…right. The mere thought of “Brokenanny” brings up feelings eerily reminiscent of an intense moral dilemma. (You may think about that for a second if you must.)

To be up-front with you, I at first had my doubts about the show. I fell for some of the lies. Someone mentioned a cardboard drum-set, and I regret: panic struck me. The thought of our beloved, ridiculous variety show being reduced to gimmicky props and gaudy Christmas lights? It was almost too much to handle.

So I wanted to get to the bottom of what was happening. Was enrollment down too low? Did YAC spend their whole budget on Midnight Breakfast? Was Hootenanny no longer a priority? Turns out it’s none of the above. Steve Conn, Director of Student Programs and YAC, had this to say.

“There’s nothing wrong with the budget, and Hootenanny is still a priority here at LETU. The idea of “Brokenanny” actually came from Charles Mosiman. He thought it would be funny, and he’s right.”

The rumors of a card-board set were a bit distressing though, so I wanted to set the record straight. To my surprise, they were using a cardboard set, and Steve was excited about it.

“We still have the old set, nothing happened to it. We just decided not to use it this year. Last year was epic and we didn’t know how to top it. So we decided to just do something different instead and have some fun with it. We’ve been doing Hootenanny for years, and you have to try hard to keep it original, so we went in the opposite direction. And I think it’s working if people are already talking about it.”

I was nervous that a cardboard set and Hill-Billy Christmas lights were not going to set right mood for Hootenanny, but Steve assured me it was all part of the show.

“There is a reason for everything, and you’ll understand it all once you see the show. Charles accidentally donates the set to the IRS and everything goes downhill from there. The Christmas lights are actually homemade contraptions that Anthony “Fro” Horner rigged up himself and I actually think they are pretty cool. You’re going to love the show. But as far as financial problems or a big story, I’ve got nothing. Sorry to disappoint you.”

The forecast continued to brighten as Steve revealed that Brokenanny will also premiere the short films originally submitted for Film Fest this year. So it appears that Hootenanny is going strong. So strong in fact, that I wrote this article to remind you. Your mind will be blown, in a way that only cardboard can do. And you’ll enjoy it.

Brokenanny 2012:
Your mind will be blown.
We’d promise your money back if we didn’t need it to keep the lights on.

Written by Nathan Brazil.