Appraising the Prize

Formed in 1795, the Hasty Pudding Theatricals is America’s oldest collegiate theatre organization and, with time-honored tradition, occupies a celebrated position in the life of the Harvard community. The entire university benefits from the humor, the wit, and the talent on display in each year’s Pudding show, and the Pudding’s bestowing of its annual Woman and Man of the Year Awards are much-anticipated events on the Harvard calendar each year. As usual, we are excited by this year’s selection for Woman of the Year (we’re still waiting for the Man of the Year announcement). Of course, nothing need be said about the talent and the grace of this year’s choice, actress Julianne Moore, whose career accomplishments speak for themselves—her recent performance in “The Kids Are All Right,” for instance, was inspiring.

However, as this year’s prize marks the 60th anniversary of the Pudding’s Woman of the Year Award, it seems like a good time to take stock of the prize and what it means. We wonder whether recognitions like these couldn’t showcase a little more diversity.

An award is not just a celebration of a person’s achievements but also of that person him or herself. In a subtle sense, awards, albeit inadvertently, often cause the public to admire every aspect of a particular person—including things as superficial as his or her particular career choice or, it must be said, ethnic background. Even though these things have nothing to do with the desert of a highly talented performer and that she clearly has earned any honor, the fact that even a few might assume a causal relationship between her worthiness as an entertainer and, say, her race is something that an organization with as large a public persona as the Pudding should consider addressing.

According to the Hasty Pudding Theatricals, this award is granted to performers who have made a “lasting and impressive contribution to the world of entertainment.” In this light, the Hasty Pudding ought to select performers outside the scope of well-known film actors for the accolade. For example, last year, the award was given to Anne J. Hathaway, and the year before it was given to Renée K. Zellweger. People from other industries, such as a theatre, dance, comedy, or music, or even non-movie stars within the film industry such as directors, screenwriters, or producers should be more frequently selected; they have surely also made significant contributions to entertainment as a whole. (The Pudding, after all, puts on a musical every year—why not award more Broadway performers?) That they are not better represented is a disservice to the expansive scope and mission the prize sets for itself.

Additionally, although information about each year’s nominees is not available, since 1951, it’s notable to see that only four African-American women have won the prize: Halle Berry (2006), Whoopi Goldberg (1993), Ella J. Fitzgerald (1982), and Dionne Warwick (1970). While this is certainly not the only metric by which to measure ethnic diversity, it is a significant one. The Hasty Pudding often presents other cultures in their shows, such as in this year’s upcoming production, entitled “Kashmir If You Can.” In that sense, even though Hasty Pudding humor may be all in good fun, it seems a bit irresponsible for the organization to lampoon a variety of cultures and give them frequently politically incorrect comedic treatment (such as the character “Arabian slave, Kareem Inyourpants” in the upcoming show) without displaying multicultural consciousness in the awarding of their trademark prize.

Given that the Hasty Pudding’s annual parade is a public spectacle rather than a private affair, its Woman of the Year selection should better reflect the demographics of its viewing public. Public presence is especially vital to the success of the parade, and, out of respect, this ought to be a consideration on how the Hasty Pudding considers the diversity of its award recipients.

That aside, we’re greatly looking forward to the Hasty Pudding Show, and we’re lucky to have this vibrant performing arts powerhouse on campus.

And, of course, Julianne Moore.

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

CORRECTION: Jan. 23, 2011

An earlier version of the Jan. 21 staff editorial "Appraising the Prize" incorrectly quoted a character description from the Hasty Pudding Theatricals' website. The quoted description of Kareem Inyourpants is "Arabian slave," rather than "Arabian slave boy."