The Hasty Pudding Institute of 1770 and Hedwig and the Angry Inch Announce Educational Workshop for New York City High-School Students

    CAMBRIDGE, MA, May 16, 2014 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The Hasty Pudding Institute of 1770 announced that on Sunday May 18th, it will hold an exceptional educational workshop for a group of New York public school students, in collaboration with the Broadway production of HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH.

With this initiative, the Hasty Pudding Institute combines its philanthropic efforts with the work of its production arm, Hasty Pudding Presents. As part of its philanthropic efforts, earlier this year the Hasty Pudding Institute partnered with the Arthur Miller Foundation and Institute of Play to fund the design and pilot of an exportable theater and film program to re-envision the role of arts in middle and high school education. The first pilot program debuted earlier this week at the Quest To Learn School in New York City. Meanwhile, the Hasty Pudding Institute is a supporter of the HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH production, and star Neil Patrick Harris was named the Hasty Pudding Theatricals Man of the Year in February 2014.

As a complement to their newly implemented theater-film program, 15 9th and 10th graders from Quest to Learn and their teachers have been invited to participate in an exceptional one day "Hedwig / Hasty Pudding" workshop which will allow them to gain an invaluable insider look at the business of the theatre and enhance their learning experience by gaining access to seasoned professionals.

The day will include a master class during which the students will learn from a panel of Broadway professionals from HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH, and undergraduate members of the Hasty Pudding Theatricals at Harvard, covering all aspects of producing a show from writing to costuming, set designing, band-playing, acting etc. Following the class, the students will attend a matinee show of HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH at the Belasco Theatre, followed by a talk back with the cast and a backstage visit. As a follow up to their experience, the students and their teachers will produce a short film highlighting how this day has inspired them and informed their creative process.

"We are excited to expand our collaboration with HEDWIG THE ANGRY INCH and offer a unique opportunity for young students to gain unprecedented access and invaluable insight into the theater world." said Andrew Farkas, Graduate Chairman and Grand Sphinx of the Hasty Pudding Institute. "We hope to inspire and foster the next generation of artists and encourage them to express themselves without censure - which is something that HEDWIG also stands for."

"The "Hedwig/Hasty Pudding" Workshop is the perfect opportunity for our students. One of the central goals of our program is for students to understand and appreciate that theater making is a complex, collaborative and creative process combining the talents and hard work of so many -- often unrecognized -- professionals. I can't imagine an experience that could better fit our goals!" said Jeremy Engle, Program Manager, Institute of Play.

ABOUT THE HASTY PUDDING INSTITUTE OF 1770
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, to encourage satire and comedy, and to cultivate emerging and unrecognized 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, after the Comedie Francaise and the Oberammergau Passion Players) and the Harvard Krokodiloes (one of the foremost collegiate a cappella group in the United States). Over the last two centuries, it has grown into a premiere performing arts organization, a patron of the arts and comedy, and an advocate for satire and discourse as tools for change worldwide.

ABOUT HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH
Neil Patrick Harris' return to Broadway in the new production of HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH, the musical with book by John Cameron Mitchell and music and lyrics by Stephen Trask, directed by Michael Mayer is nominated for eight Tony Awards including Best Musical Revival. The limited engagement, featuring Lena Hall (Kinky Boots, lead singer of The Deafening), recently opened to rave reviews at the Belasco Theatre (111 West 44th Street).

"Internationally ignored song stylist" Hedwig Robinson (Neil Patrick Harris) brings her fourth-wall-smashing rock and roll saga to New York to set the record straight about her life, her loves, and the botched operation that left her with that "angry inch."

HEDWIG has inspired a generation of young theatre writers and audiences. This wickedly funny and heartbreaking show was called "the Best Rock Musical Ever" by Rolling Stone and "the most exciting rock score written for the theatre since, oh, ever," by Time Magazine.

Follow HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH
on Twitter @HedwigOnBway,
Facebook and Instagram @hedwigonbway
www.HedwigBroadway.com

ABOUT THE ARTHUR MILLER FOUNDATION
Arthur Miller Foundation is dedicated to the support of rising generations of playwrights and theater artists, filmmakers, and visual artists. To this end the AMF intends to foster the integration of the arts into public schools, as well as giving grants to individual playwrights.

ABOUT INSTITUTE OF PLAY
Institute of Play is a not-for-profit design studio that pioneers new models of learning and engagement. At the core of the experiences the Institute creates are games, play and the principles that underlie them. Institute of Play's first project was the design and implementation of an innovative New York City public school, Quest to Learn.

ABOUT QUEST TO LEARN SCHOOL
Quest to Learn is a pioneering New York City public school, founded by Institute of Play, that brings together educators, game designers, curriculum specialists, parents and community organizations in the project of preparing young people for college and career success. Quest to Learn's unique game-like connected learning model re-imagines school as one node in an ecology of learning that extends beyond the four walls of an institution and engages kids in ways that are exciting, empowering and culturally relevant.

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