Hasty Pudding Theatricals facts for kids

The Hasty Pudding lobby

Hasty Pudding Theatricals is a student theater group at Harvard University. It's famous for its yearly musical comedies and for giving out special awards to famous actors and actresses. These are called the Man of the Year and Woman of the Year awards. The Hasty Pudding is the oldest student theater group in the United States. It's also the third oldest in the entire world! Their yearly show is a funny musical that often talks about current events and important topics.

The Hasty Pudding Story: A Look Back

How Hasty Pudding Theatricals Started

Hasty Pudding Theatricals began way back in 1795. It started as a social club for students at Harvard College. The students wanted to make friends and share feelings of friendship and patriotism.

First Shows and Student Writers

On December 13, 1844, the Hasty Pudding put on its first full play. It was a funny opera called Bombastes Furioso. At first, the students performed plays written by famous writers. But starting in 1882, students began writing their own shows. The first student-written play was Dido and Aeneas by Owen Wister.

Times When Shows Were Paused

The yearly show has been paused a few times in history. It stopped for two years during each of the World Wars. The show also paused in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Women's Roles in the Theatricals

Women have been part of the Hasty Pudding for many years. They often helped by designing costumes. In 1948, Felisa Vanoff became the first female choreographer. This means she created the dances for the shows. In 1978, Diane Nabatoff became the first female producer. She helped manage the entire show. In 2009, Megan Amram and Alexandra Petri were the first all-female team to write the musical comedy. Today, the technical crew, band, and business staff are all co-ed, meaning both male and female students work together.

Famous People from Hasty Pudding

Many talented people have been part of Hasty Pudding Theatricals before they became famous. Here are a few:

• BJ Averell, who won The Amazing Race
• Megan Amram, a writer
• Paris Barclay, an Emmy-winning director for TV shows like NYPD Blue and Glee
• Nell Benjamin, who wrote the play The Explorers Club
• John Berman, a news anchor for CNN
• Andy Borowitz, a humorist
• Josh Brener, an actor in Silicon Valley and The Big Bang Theory
• Fred Gwynne, an actor
• William Randolph Hearst, a famous newspaper publisher
• Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr., a doctor and poet
• Rashida Jones, an actress in Parks and Recreation and The Office
• David Javerbaum, a playwright who won many Emmy Awards for The Daily Show
• Jack Lemmon, an Oscar-winning actor
• Alan Jay Lerner, a lyricist who wrote songs for musicals
• J.P. Morgan Jr., a famous financier
• Dean Norris, an actor in Breaking Bad
• Mark O'Donnell, who won a Tony Award for writing Hairspray
• Laurence O'Keefe, who wrote music and lyrics for musicals like Heathers: The Musical
• Alexandra Petri, a writer
• Mo Rocca, a comedian
• Franklin Delano Roosevelt, a US President
• Theodore Roosevelt, a US President
• Felisa Vanoff, the first female choreographer for the group
• William Weld, a former Governor of Massachusetts
• Owen Wister, a novelist

What's in a Name? The Hasty Pudding Story

The name "Hasty Pudding" comes from an old dish. It's a type of porridge made from cornmeal. People would add molasses or honey to it. It's not clear if it was a main meal or a dessert back then. But now, the Hasty Pudding group serves it as a dessert at their special events. These events include opening night parties and the yearly "roasts" for their Man and Woman of the Year.

Special Awards: Man and Woman of the Year

The Hasty Pudding Theatricals is well-known for its yearly awards. They choose a famous actress as the Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year since 1951. They also choose a famous actor as the Hasty Pudding Man of the Year since 1967. These awards are very important to the people who receive them. Since 1961, the winners always come to the award ceremony. They get a fun "roast" (where people tell funny jokes about them) and a parade!

Symbols of the Hasty Pudding Theatricals

Official Logos

The Hasty Pudding Theatricals has two main symbols, or logos. One logo shows a sphinx, which is a mythical creature, holding a pudding pot. The other logo shows a pudding pot hanging over a fire.

Colors and Motto

The main colors of the Hasty Pudding are deep blue, crimson (a deep red), green, and yellow. The yellow color is a special tribute to the color of traditional hasty pudding. The group's official motto is Concordia Discors. This Latin phrase means "Discordant Harmony" or "organized chaos" in English.

The Hasty Pudding Institute

The Hasty Pudding Theatricals is part of a larger group called the Hasty Pudding Institute of 1770. Other groups like the Hasty Pudding Club and the Harvard Krokodiloes are also part of this institute. They all share the same meeting space and have social events together on the Harvard campus.