HASTY PUDDING THEATRICALS AWARDS KERRY WASHINGTON AS WOMAN OF THE YEAR
By: Hope Wilkos, Writer
While the Oscars have drawn a considerable amount of attention for their lack of diversity in the category of nominees, another award ceremony is celebrating diversity with their annual ‘Woman Of The Year’ award that took place on January 28, 2016.
The Hasty Pudding Theatricals is, by far, the oldest and most distinguished theatrical organization in the United States. It is, without fail, that every year since 1844 (except during World War I and II), the best of the best have accepted the honor to add to their extensive acting repertoire.
The Hasty Pudding Institute of 1770’s philanthropic mission is to provide educational and developmental support in all aspects of the performing arts for the underprivileged in an effort to encourage satire and comedy while cultivating young and fresh talent from around the world. The Institute is made up of The Hasty Pudding Theatricals, The Hasty Pudding Club and the Harvard Krokodiloes (the foremost collegiate a cappella group in the United States). For the last couple of centuries, this has become the premiere performing arts organization, a patron of the arts and comedy and an advocate for satire and discourse as tools for change across the globe. Past alumni of The Hasty Pudding Theatricals include talented and intelligent individuals such as former Presidents John Adams, Theodore Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy along with well-known names such as Archibald Cox, Jack Lemmon, Erich Segal, Stockard Channing, Mo Rocca and Rashida Jones.
CAMBRIDGE, MA – JANUARY 28: Kerry Washington performs in a skit with Hasty Pudding Theatrical members during the Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year award January 28, 2016 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. (Photo by Darren McCollester/Getty Images for Hasty Pudding)
The 2016 Woman Of The Year Award was given to Golden Globe and Emmy Awards nominated actress, Kerry Washington. It all took place this past Thursday, January 28th, at Harvard University. Washington has many impressive accomplishments to her name. Because of her portrayal as a “fixer” in Scandal, she had to demonstrate her talent at breaking things, which came in the form of smashing various objects, from a piñata to an egg on a cast member’s face. She was also challenged to a pop-corn eating contest by an elephant, and had to sing a lullaby with a Ray Charles impersonator. After receiving her Pudding Pot, Ms. Washington led the audience in a pledge for compassion and inclusiveness. A press conference followed the presentation, and to close the festivities the Hasty Pudding cast members performed several musical numbers from the group’s 168th production, That 1770s Show.
Washington recently completed production on the HBO TV movie Confirmation, which she stars in and executive produces. The film details the explosive 1991 Clarence Thomas Supreme Court nomination hearings, which brought the country to a standstill and forever changed the way people think about sexual harassment, victim’s rights, and modern-day race relations.
Film credits include Save The Last Dance, Lift (for which she received an Independent Spirit nomination), The Human Stain, Sin, Ray, Mr & Mrs Smith, I Think I Love My Wife, Miracle At St. Anna, Mother And Child, The Last King Of Scotland, Night Catches Us, Lakeview Terrace, The Details, Django Unchained and Peeples.
Washington is active in a number of social and political causes. In 2009 she was appointed by President Barack Obama to the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. In 2013 Washington was honored with the NAACP President’s Award, which recognized her special achievements in furthering the cause of civil rights and public service. In 2014, Time magazine included Washington on its annual Time 100 list of the Most Influential People in the World. Washington received the GLAAD Media Vanguard Award in 2015 and the ACLU Bill of Rights Award in 2016.
Washington currently serves as both a brand ambassador and creative consultant for Neutrogena. She is also a brand ambassador for Movado, creative ambassador for OPI and ambassador for Allstate Foundation Purple Purse.
CAMBRIDGE, MA – JANUARY 28: Kerry Washington rides in a parade with cats members Robert Fitzpatrick (L) and David Sheynberg as she is honored by Hasty Pudding Theatrical with the Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year award January 28, 2016 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. (Photo by Darren McCollester/Getty Images for Hasty Pudding)
There were light-hearted moments and serious moments during the course of the afternoon. Kerry was driven through the streets of Cambridge, Massachusetts in a convertible with a troupe of Hasty Pudding members dressed in drag parading next to the vehicle. They all posed for pictures and then had a few laughs, interacting heavily with the crowd. Then there was Kerry’s acceptance speech where she voiced strong support for her fellow actors that have begun the movement to diversify the Academy Awards. She stressed that more voices are needed at the table. “We need our art to reflect all of us.”
Many thanks go out to RELATED who was instrumental in presenting all the festivities of the day. Kerry Washington joins the ranks of other award winners such as Meryl Streep, Katharine Hepburn, Julia Roberts, Jodie Foster, Elizabeth Taylor, Anne Hathaway, Claire Danes, Dame Helen Mirren and Amy Poehler.
Next up is the 50th Man of the Year Hasty Pudding Awards set to take place on Friday, February 5, 2016 at Farkas Hall on the campus of Harvard University. This year the honor goes to Joseph Gordon-Levitt. His next big challenging role will be playing Edward Snowden in Oliver Stone’s movie, SNOWDEN. He recently took on the role of Philippe Pettit, the high-wire artist who gained fame when he walked a tightrope between New York City’s Twin Towers in 1974. He wrote the screenplay and starred in DON JON and made his feature film directorial debut with this one. His career has spanned over a long and eloquent length of time and on this particular day, he will shine in the Hasty Pudding World.
