The Hasty Pudding Institute of 1770 is joining its 2012 Man Of The Year recipient, Neil Patrick Harris, drag culture icon Lady Bunny, and OUT magazine, to bring the legendary drag festival, Wigstock back to New York this September 1st, 2018 at Pier 17 in Lower Manhattan.
This year, Wigstock will not only celebrate drag culture but also support the non-profit Gay Men’s Health Crisis. The Hasty Pudding Institute joins this historic event in those efforts.
“We are incredibly excited to be a part of this amazing festival with Neil and Lady Bunny, the event founder,” said Chairman and Grand Sphinx Andrew Farkas. “Wigstock has a rich history of comedy and subversive satire, well aligned with the values and heritage of our organization.”
Now celebrating its 169th production, The Hasty Pudding is one of the oldest theater organizations in the world, which produces the nation’s oldest collegiate burlesque/drag comedic musical. Past productions have starred William Randolph Hearst, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and Jack Lemmon; and the Institute boasts esteemed alumni including Mo Rocca, Rashida Jones, BJ Novak, and Megan Amram. The organization celebrates the creative art form of drag both through its annual production and the annual on-campus Man of the Year and Woman of the Year honors. This year, the Pudding additionally celebrates the addition of Women to the cast. While sponsoring Wigstock at Pier 17 in New York this week, The Hasty Pudding traditionally gathers in its Harvard Square Clubhouse. Today, the clubhouse is at 45 Dunster Street, the location of the first Cambridge Meeting House.
The Hasty Pudding Institute of 1770 is a philanthropic organization whose mission statement is to provide educational and developmental support in all aspects of the performing arts for the underprivileged, to encourage satire and comedy, and to cultivate young talent around the world. The Institute is comprised of the Hasty Pudding Club (the oldest social club in the United States), the Hasty Pudding Theatricals (the third oldest theater group in the world) and the Harvard Krokodiloes (the foremost collegiate a cappella group in the United States). Over the last two centuries, it has grown into a premier performing arts organization, a patron of the arts and comedy, and an advocate for satire and discourse as tools for change worldwide.
