Hermitage Announces New April and May Programs

The Hermitage Artist Retreat (Sarasota County, Florida) today announced new programs in April and May. Continuing its commitment to innovative year-round arts programming, these events will be presented throughout the Gulf Coast region, from the Hermitage’s beautiful beachfront campus on Manasota Key to the heart of Sarasota’s vibrant downtown arts scene in collaborations with Selby Gardens, Asolo Repertory Theatre, Oak Street Stage, and more. Frequently only an hour in length, Hermitage programs introduce world-renowned artists to Florida’s Gulf Coast community and invite audiences across the country to experience candid and engaging conversations, music performances, play readings, open studios, film screenings, and more. 

Newly announced April programs begin with a presentation from Pulitzer Prize finalist and New York Times bestselling author Xochitl Gonzalez(Olga Dies Dreaming), alongside award-winning playwright and librettist Julia Jordan (Murder Ballad). These two Hermitage Fellows make work that speaks for itself; they also advocate for equity among their fellow artists and citizens who are deserving of recognition. On Friday, April 5th at 6:30pm on the Hermitage Beach, hear how these two trailblazing women are shaping our future through art and action during the program “Stage, Page, and Useful Rage.” Julia Jordan’s Hermitage Residency generously sponsored by Gerald & Sondra Biller. Xochitl Gonzalez’s Hermitage Residency generously sponsored by Liz & Duncan Richardson.

Next up in April is the previously announced Hermitage Greenfield Prize Celebration – with four events spanning April 13 to 15.

Then on Wednesday, April 24th at 3:30pm, hear from an Obie Award-winning playwright whose work has been produced at some of the country’s leading theaters. Hermitage Fellow Sarah Gancher is no stranger to writing for the stage. Her works include the recent Off-Broadway play Russian Troll Farm, as well as musical projects like Hundred Days and The Lucky Ones in collaborationwith The Bengsons. In this special program made possible by the Annette Dignam State College of Florida Residency in Literature at the Hermitage, Gancher will share excerpts of her original work and offer insight into how she approaches a range of theatrical writing projects. “Writing for the Stage” is the first public presentation of this longstanding endowed literature residency, which has previously only been open to students. This program is presented in partnership with the State College of Florida on their Venice campus. 

Hermitage programming in May kicks off at Spanish Point with one of the nation’s greatest mimes and storytellers Bill Bowers, who was trained by the legendary Marcel Marceau, and Kavita Shah, an award-winning vocalist and composer who has performed all over the world. A celebrated mime by training and a master of physical theater techniques, Bill Bowers has been hailed as “the great American mime.” He is also a charismatic storyteller who is currently writing his remarkable life story in a memoir about making theater all over the world. A Sarasota favorite, Bowers returns to the Hermitage after his previous waitlist-only appearances. Hailed for her “amazing dexterity for musical languages” (NPR), Kavita Shah speaks severallanguages and sings amazingly in them all. These two Hermitage Fellows embrace both the sounds and the silences surrounding them. “Sound and Silence” is part of the Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby Gardens series on May 2nd at 6:30pm at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens Historic Spanish Point.

Floridians are no strangers to the sand and sun, but that familiar environment can be transformed into an inspirational environment by the creativity of artists like Tony Award-nominated playwright Bess Wohl and violinist Rebecca Crenshaw. Bess Wohl is familiar to Hermitage audiences from the development and early sharing of her play Camp Siegfried on the Hermitage Beach prior its successful Off-Broadway run; her Broadway and Off-Broadway plays like Grand Horizons and Small Mouth Sounds are praised by audiences and critics alike for their poignant humor, smart characterizations, and inventive theatricality. RebeccaCrenshaw is a New Orleans-based artist, educator, and violinist; her practice is shaped by the soundwaves she creates with bands like Grammy Award-winners Arcade Fire and Mumford & Sons. These two innovative Hermitage Fellows present “Waves: Movements that Shape Us” on the Hermitage Beach as the sun sets into the Gulf of Mexico on Friday, May 10th at 6:30pm. 

Not only are the arts for people of all backgrounds and identities, but they have the power to shape the world in which we live. An Obie Award-winning Hermitage Fellow, playwright, and director, Shayok Misha Chowdhury’s work crosses continents, encompassing different languages, peoples, cultures, identities, and beliefs. Fresh from Soho Rep’s critically acclaimed production of Public Obscenities and its subsequent transfer to Theater for a New Audience (NY Times Critic’s Pick), this Relentless Award Winner shares work and talks process in a candid and empowering program. “Seeing Oneself & Celebrating Identity” is presented at the Koski Center on Friday, May 15th at 6:30pm. This program is presented in partnership with ALSO Youthand Asolo Repertory Theatre; “Seeing Oneself & Celebrating Identity” is funded in part by a grant from South Arts in partnership with National Endowment for the Arts and the Florida Department of State Division of Arts and Culture.         

Returning Hermitage Fellow and composer Robert Pound’soriginal piano piece “Sonata in Memoriam Lloyd Arriola” will be performed at Oak Street Stage in Sarasota on Friday, May 24th at 5:30pm. Pound was commissioned to create this composition after a chance encounter at the Metropolitan Opera in 2015 with Lloyd Arriola, a friend and Juilliard-trained pianist. After Arriola suddenly passed away in 2016 at the age of 43, this solo piano composition took on an entirely new dimension, which Pound used his residency at the Hermitage to create. Hear insights from the composer and the sweeping, complex piece performed by a close friend and fellow Juilliard-trained pianist, Charles Hulin IV.

All of these Hermitage programs are free and open to the public (with a $5/person registration fee), offering Gulf Coast audiences a rare chance to engage and interact with some of the world’s leading talent. Running time for most Hermitage programs is 60-70 minutes. Due to capacity limitations, registration is required at HermitageArtistRetreat.org.

Full Line-Up of Events for 2024 Hermitage Greenfield Prize Celebration 

The Hermitage Artist Retreat (Sarasota County, Florida), in collaboration with the Greenfield Foundation, presents the 16th year of the Hermitage Greenfield Prize Celebration. The events span from Saturday, April 13th through Monday, April 15th, including the annual Hermitage Greenfield Prize Dinner in Sarasota on Sunday, April 14th. The celebration culminates on Monday, April15th with the world premiere of 2022 Hermitage Greenfield Prize winner Angélica Negrón’soriginal composition “Azul Naranja Salado,” presentedin partnership with ensembleNewSRQ on the the Hermitage Beach as the sun sets into the Gulf on Manasota Key.

The Hermitage Greenfield Prize Dinner on Sunday, April 14th celebrates the 2024 recipient of the Prize, playwright and theater maker Deepa Purohit. The popular event also serves as the Hermitage Artist Retreat’s annual Spring Gala, which is co-chaired this year by Pauline Wamsler and Stephanie & Gene Jones. The event will feature an elegant dinner at Michael’s On East and memorable performances. Performers and guest artists for the HGP Dinner will be announced at a later date. For information regarding tables and sponsorships, visit HermitageArtistRetreat.org, or contact Development Director Amy Wallace: Development@HermitageArtistRetreat.org, (941) 475-2098, Ext. 2. 

This year’s HGP events begin on Saturday, April 13th at 3pm with “A Conversation with 2024 Hermitage Greenfield Prize Winner Deepa Purohit,” on the Hermitage Great Lawn, presented in partnership with Asolo Repertory Theatre. Purohit’s work was featured last year in the Atlantic Theater Company’s season with the Off-Broadway debut of her play Elyria, earning a 2023 Drama League Award nomination for Outstanding Production of a Play. She co-founded and ran Rising Circle Theater Collective, a theater company centered on the stories of people of color. Deepa was recently announced as the Director of New Works at People’s Light Theatre. In this conversation, Purohit will discuss her past theatrical works andshare a deep dive perspective into the personal and profound question at the heart of her upcoming Hermitage commission: how does one die with dignity? 

Later that same day at 6:30pm on Saturday, April 13th, the conversation continues on the Hermitage Beach on Manasota Key with “Hermitage Artists & Thinkers: South Asian Artists in America,” featuring playwright 2024 HGP winner Deepa Purohit, Hermitage Fellow and musician-performer Kavita Shah, and Hermitage Fellow and playwright-actor Nandita Shenoy. This panel discussion, moderated by Hermitage Artistic Director and CEO Andy Sandberg, will explore the impact of representation and the rich diversity of South Asian culture reflected in the arts in America and beyond. 

Both hour-long Saturday programs honor the distinguished recipient of this year’s award. In addition to a $35,000 commission, Purohit will receive six weeks of residency time as a Hermitage Fellow to develop her new play, as well as the first public presentation of her original work in Sarasota in 2026.

On Sunday, April 15th, the weekend continues with a gala dinner at Michael’s On East in Sarasota. Previous HGP Dinners have featured surprise appearances from Tony Award Winner Gavin Creel, Lucille Lortel Award Winner Leslie Rodriguez-Kritzer, internationally acclaimed visual artist Sanford Biggers, and more. 

The Hermitage Greenfield Prize Celebration concludes on April 15th with the world premiere of “Azul Naranja Salado:” Angélica Negrón’s Hermitage Greenfield Prize Premiere, bringing the commission full circle from her award in 2022. The celebration begins with newly awarded 2024 HGP winner Deepa Purohitand concludes with the first public presentation of Angélica Negrón’s 2022 HGP commission. 

“One of the most exciting elements of the Hermitage Greenfield Prize is bringing multiple winners from different disciplines to Sarasota in three exciting days of events and programming,” said Hermitage Artistic Director and CEO Andy Sandberg. “It is thrilling to be recognizing the unique talents of Deepa Purohit in the discipline of theater at the same time we are inviting audiences to experience a brand new world premiere commission from composer Angélica Negrón.

Negrón’s composition will be timed with the setting sun on the Hermitage Beach – starting at 7pm on Monday, April 15th. The piece will feature slowly evolving musical textures, shifting patterns, natural sounds, and changes in scale and dimension that play with the unfolding gradations of light and color on the surrounding land, water, and sky. Composed for a unique ensemble of low strings, harps, percussion, and electronics, Negrón hopes this site-specific work will serve as a gentle reminder to the audience to seek out and surrender to moments of inspiration. This program is presented in partnership with enSRQ.

“We are proud to be partnering once again with the Hermitage for this ambitious world premiere,” said enSRQ Co-Artistic Directors George Nickson and Samantha Bennett. “We are honored to have presented the work of many extraordinary Hermitage artists in the past, and we know it will always lead to something truly exciting. Angélica is one of the most innovative composers of her generation, and this promises to be a memorable evening.”

Both of the talks on Saturday, April 13th – like all Hermitage community programs – are free and open to the members of the public (with a $5/person registration fee). Registration is required.

Sponsorships and tables for the Hermitage Greenfield Prize Dinner on April 14th ($1,250 to $10,000) and tickets to Angélica Negrón’s premiere on April 15th ($25/person) must be purchased in advance. More details for these events can also be found at HermitageArtistRetreat.org.

The Hermitage Greenfield Prize – now celebrating its 16th year and rotating annually between theater, music, and visual art — includes a six-week Hermitage residency and a $35,000 commission to create and develop a new work, which culminates with a public presentation in Sarasota. The Hermitage Greenfield Prize Celebration is presented in partnership with the Greenfield Foundation, with the Community Foundation of Sarasota County serving as Lead Community Sponsor. 

New March Program Features ABT Principal Dancer James Whiteside

The Hermitage Artist Retreat announces a new program featuring returning Hermitage Fellow and American Ballet Theatre principal dancer James Whiteside. Whiteside will offer a special hour-long program at the Hermitage Palm House Studio on Monday, March 4th at 5:30pm, where he will share a candid and entertaining look at his life as a celebrated dancer, choreographer, playwright, and entertainment impresario.

Whiteside defies genre classification and is redefining the meaning of multihyphenate as a principal dancer and choreographer for American Ballet Theatre, pop music performer, podcast host, and author of Center Center, which he adapted into the play Dead Center during a previous visit to the Hermitage. He began his ballet training at age nine and was a principal dancer with the Boston Ballet until 2012. Since 2013, Whiteside has been principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre, where he has danced principal roles in Swan LakeThe NutcrackerRomeo & JulietGiselle, and more. Whiteside has choreographed for pop stars Mariah Carey, Taylor Swift, and more. He performs pop music under the stage name JdDubs. In addition to writing and producing his own music, Whiteside also choreographs digital performances and music videos, which have viewership in the millions. 

“We are incredibly excited to welcome James Whiteside back to the Hermitage,” says Hermitage Artistic Director and CEO Andy Sandberg. “In addition to being one of the nation’s premier dancers, he has taken the entertainment and media world by storm with his many talents and irresistible personality. This promises to be an unpredictable and unforgettable program that Gulf Coast audiences will not want to miss.”

Whiteside’s talents extend well beyond the world of dance, with growing celebrity as a playwright, podcast host, and brilliant performer who has captured and energized millions online with his dynamic and hilarious content. Whiteside will engage with Hermitage audiences for a creative exploration and candid conversation about wearing his many glamorous hats, arts entrepreneurship, and the transcendent power of dance.  

“Dancing through Life with James Whiteside” will be presented at the Hermitage on Monday, March 4th at 5:30pm. This program is free and open to the public (with a $5/person registration fee). Registration is required at HermitageArtistRetreat.orgCapacity will be limited, and registration is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Early registration is strongly encouraged.

Third Annual Concert in the Ruby E. Crosby Alumni Music Series

The Hermitage Artist Retreat (Sarasota County, Florida) is pleased to announce the third annual concert in the Ruby E. Crosby Alumni Music Series at the Hermitage, featuring award-winning composer and pianist Conrad Tao. This event will take place on Thursday, March 28th at 7pm at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. This alumni music initiative was launched in 2022 to a full-capacity crowd at Selby Gardens with “Soulful Strings: An Evening of Harp Music,” featuring celebrated harpist and Hermitage alumna Ashley Jackson. Last year’s concert, “The Pop-Folk World of Zoe Sarnak,” featured award-winning New York City-based Hermitage alum Zoe Sarnak,withSarasota-based vocalists and musicians performing Sarnak’s original songs at Nathan Benderson Park.

This year, the Ruby E. Crosby Alumni Music Series at the Hermitage returns to classical music with world-renowned pianist, composer, and Hermitage Fellow Conrad Tao. Tao has appeared worldwide as a pianist and composer – including acclaimed performances with the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, and more. He has been dubbed “the kind of musician who is shaping the future of classical music” by New York Magazine and an artist of “probing intellect and open-hearted vision” by The New York Times.

The Ruby E. Crosby Alumni Music Series at the Hermitage offers the opportunity for a distinguished Hermitage alumni composer or musician to return for additional residency time and a special community concert. This initiative is made possible by a generous multi-year gift from the Ruby E. and Carole Crosby Family Foundation. Current Hermitage Board President Carole Crosby initiated this gift as a special tribute to her mother Ruby, who helped to inspire her own deep love of music. A musician herself, Carole Crosby graduated from the Curtis Institute of Music and played the harp in both the Atlanta Symphony and Detroit Symphony.

“The Hermitage brings some of the most impressive performers in the world to our community,” said Crosby. “Music was always incredibly important to me and to my mother, so it’s an honor to celebrate her memory with this initiative spotlighting and supporting some truly extraordinary composers and musicians. I am continually inspired by the Hermitage’s commitment to these artists and the impact these magnificent talents are having in our region.”

“We are incredibly excited to welcome Conrad Tao back to Sarasota to share his talents with our growing Hermitage audience,” added Hermitage Artistic Director and CEO Andy Sandberg. “Anyone who has seen Conrad perform knows that is one of the most extraordinary and innovative pianists of his generation. As we continue to reengage with and provide more opportunities for Hermitage alumni, this generous gift from Carole Crosby in honor of her mother allows us to celebrate some of the groundbreaking musical talents who have come to know Sarasota through their time at the Hermitage and to share their latest work with the members of our community.”

Hermitage Fellow Conrad Tao captures and energizes the essence of popular classical music through his undeniably gifted lens of improvisation and imaginative composition to elevate the future of music. He has amassed a steady stream of awards and critical acclaim for his performances, compositions, and recordings with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, and symphonies around the world. A returning Hermitage Fellow, Tao is the recipient of the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant and was named a Gilmore Young Artist – an honor awarded only once every two years to highlight the most promising American pianists of the new generation.

“Piano Classics Remade” will be presented outdoors at Selby Gardens (Downtown Sarasota) on Thursday, March 28th at 7pm. This program is free and open to the public with a $5/person registration fee. Registration is required at HermitageArtistRetreat.orgCapacity will be limited, and registration is available on a first-come, first-served basis, at which time registration will shift to a waitlist. Early registration is strongly encouraged.

Playwright Deepa Purohit Receives 2024 Hermitage Greenfield Prize

The Hermitage Artist Retreat (Andy Sandberg, Artistic Director and CEO), in collaboration with the Philadelphia-based Greenfield Foundation, has selected playwright Deepa Purohit as the winner of the 2024 Hermitage Greenfield Prize (HGP). Purohit is an award-winning playwright who made her Off-Broadway debut in the Atlantic Theater Company’s 2022-23 season with the world premiere of her play Elyria (2023 Drama League Award Nominee for Outstanding Production of a Play, 2017 NEA Commission, and 2019 Jerome Foundation support with Ma-Yi Theater Company).

The Hermitage Greenfield Prize is awarded annually, rotating between the fields of theater, music, and visual art. Purohit will receive a six-week Hermitage Fellowship and a $35,000 commission to create a new work of theater, which will have its first public presentation in Sarasota in 2026. This year, the Greenfield Foundation and the Hermitage decided to increase the cash component of the award from $30,000 to $35,000. Purohit will be the first recipient of the HGP to receive this newly increased commission prize.

Purohit was selected by a distinguished jury that included Obie Award-winning playwright Rajiv Joseph, Tony Award winner and Artistic Director of A.R.T. Diane Paulus, and Tony Award-winning actor, director, and writer Ruben Santiago-Hudson.Past winners of this distinguished honor in the discipline of theater include Aleshea Harris (2021), Martyna Majok (2018), Nilo Cruz (2014), John Guare (2011), and Craig Lucas (2009). 

“Amidst a truly extraordinary field of finalists, this remarkable jury faced an incredibly difficult task to select a single recipient. Deepa Purohit emerged as an ambitious and original theatrical voice who impressed the jury with her inspiring vision,” says Hermitage Artistic Director Andy Sandberg. “Her dedication to innovative storytelling embodies the mission of the Hermitage Greenfield Prize — to bring into the world works of art that have a significant impact on the broad as well as the artistic culture of our society. We thank our distinguished jurors for their dedication, and we congratulate all four brilliant finalists, whom we look forward to welcoming at the Hermitage. We’re excited to host Deepa in Florida for the Hermitage Greenfield Prize Dinner in April, and subsequently as a Hermitage Fellow in anticipation of the first public presentation of her new commission in Sarasota in 2026.” 

Deepa Purohit was featured last year in the Atlantic Theater Company’s season with the Off-Broadway production of her play Elyria, earning Purohit a 2023 Drama League Award nomination for Outstanding Production of a Play. She co-founded and ran Rising Circle Theater Collective, a theater company centered on the stories of people of color. Deepa was recently announced as the Director of New Works at People’s Light Theatre. Based in Brooklyn, she studied acting at the Harlem Theatre Company in New York City. Her acting credits include Sex and The City 2 and The Sopranos. Prior to focusing on playwriting, Purohit had a career in education as a Baltimore City middle school teacher, and she is an alumna of the Teach For America program.

Hermitage Greenfield Prize recipients and finalists are nominated and selected by a jury of nationally recognized arts leaders. The 2024 jury in theater included Rajiv Joseph, an Obie Award-winning playwright, Pulitzer Prize finalist, and member of the Hermitage National Curatorial Council; Diane Paulus, a Tony Award-winning Broadway director and Artistic Director of the American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) at Harvard University; and Ruben Santiago-Hudson, a Tony and Obie Award-winning actor, director, and writer.

Three finalists for the 2024 Hermitage Greenfield Prize include Zora Howard, a Pulitzer Prize finalist, writer, performer, and Hermitage alumna whose plays include StewHang TimeThe Master’s ToolsBust, and Good FaithDaniel & Patrick Lazour, brothers and musical theater writers who created the original musical We Live in Cairoand Britton Smith, a writer, performer, and co-founder of the Tony Award-winning organization Broadway Advocacy Coalition. All three will receive a Hermitage residency, in addition to a prize of $1,000.

“Deepa Purohit had a brilliant play at the Atlantic last season, and she has shown that she has the ambition and the talent as a playwright to be a real serious voice in the theater,” says Rajiv Joseph. “Deepa is definitely someone I look forward to seeing more from.”

“The experience of being a juror for the Hermitage Greenfield Prize was deeply inspiring, as we heard very engaging and innovative proposals from an incredible roster of finalists,” says Diane Paulus. “The winner, Deepa Purohit, is an artist whom I know will make a major contribution to the theater world, and through her project, to our understanding of the existential questions of how we live and die with dignity and care for our elders.” 

“What an honor to be a member of the jury for the 2024 Hermitage Greenfield Prize,” added Ruben Santiago-Hudson. “Listening to the ideas bursting from the minds and hearts of four of the most dynamic theater artists of our time was a revelation. This whole process was a wonderful confirmation that our theater is in great hands and the future is indeed very bright. That the Hermitage is here to support these exceptional artists is truly a gift. It gives me the greatest pleasure to say congratulations to all four finalists – Zora Howard, Daniel & Patrick Lazour, Deepa Purohit, and Britton Smith – all champions of this extraordinary life that has chosen us called the theater. We look forward to witnessing their fierce, brave, and beautiful stories unfold.”

“I’m humbled and deeply grateful to receive the incredibly generous Hermitage Greenfield Prize at this moment in my life. I’m honestly blown away,” says Purohit. “The support of the prize and the residency will provide me with the much needed space, time, and resources that I’ve been craving to not only create a new work, but also to grow and experiment in my craft in ways I hope will contribute to American theater and the cultural fabric of our society.”

Centering the stories of South Asian women, Purohit plans to explore a question we all must encounter in our lives — how does one die with dignity in a society that values a sophisticated medical system centered on a key tenet: to prolong life? Purohit aims to bring all her skills as a playwright and theatrical polymath to this new commission, blending various forms of theatrical expression including multimedia, installation performance art, and immersive theatrical happenings. Growing up with a father who immigrated to Ohio and built his career as a surgeon in the American medical system, and a mother who spent many years at the end of her lift navigating the complex system as a patient, Purohit brings deep personal connections and insight to the story. In the face of an immense, multi-billion dollar medical and elder care industry, Purohit explores what she believes to be one of the most complicated and meaningful issues of our time — how to die with dignity. 

Purohit will be celebrated at the Hermitage Greenfield Prize Dinner on Sunday, April 14 at 6pm at Michael’s On East in Sarasota, Florida. Capacity will be limited, so early reservations are strongly recommended. 

In addition to the Hermitage Greenfield Prize Dinner on April 14, the Hermitage Greenfield Prize Celebration will include programs and talks with current and past HGP winners from April 12 to 15, 2024. These events will be presented on the Hermitage Beach and throughout Sarasota County with some also available online. Additional details about these programs will be announced at a later date. The Hermitage Greenfield Prize Celebration is presented in partnership with the Greenfield Foundation, with the Community Foundation of Sarasota County serving as the Lead Community Sponsor.

Hermitage Announces New February and March Programs 

The Hermitage Artist Retreat (Sarasota County, Florida) announces new programs extending into February and March. Continuing its commitment to innovative year-round arts programming, these events will be presented throughout the Gulf Coast region, from the Hermitage’s beautiful beachfront campus on Manasota Key to the heart of Sarasota’s vibrant downtown arts scene in collaboration with Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, The Ringling Museum, Nathan Benderson Park, The Town of Longboat Key, and more. Hermitage programs introduce world-renowned artists to Florida’s Gulf Coast community and invite audiences across the country to experience candid and engaging conversations, open studios, music performances, play readings, film screenings, and more.

Newly announced February programs include Hermitage Fellow Nambi E. Kelly, a celebrated theater writer, performer, and producer who recently worked on Peacock’s hit series “Bel-Air.” On Friday, February 9 at 5:30pm at Booker High School, hear insights and excerpts of new works from this accomplished storyteller and rising star of the theater, television, and film world. 

On Friday, February 23 at 5pm in Sarasota, Hermitage National Curatorial Council Member Limor Tomer, founder of the Live Arts Department at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, will share the unique challenges and opportunities of transforming the hallowed halls of museums into community gathering spaces for performance. She is joined by The Ringling’s own Curator of Performance, Elizabeth Doud, who is responsible for the internationally-sourced “Art of Performance” series. Their insights into this growing field and its unique place in the artistic landscape will take place under the banyans on the grounds of The Ringling Museum.

2023 Hermitage Greenfield Prize finalist Maura Brewer and returning Hermitage Fellow David “Doc” Wallace will present a two-part program at the Hermitage Beach on Friday, March 1 at 5:30pm. A visual and multimedia artist, Brewer uses video and images to explore and uncover stories about our world, while Wallace expertly blends sounds and music to engage in the present like only a gifted musician can. Hear from both artists and engage with selections of their work.

Hermitage Fellow and acclaimed author Mesha Maren joins the Creative Writing Department at Ringling College as a part of the Visiting Writers Forum to inspire students and community members alike for the first installment of “Hermitage Writes @ Ringling College.” Maren’s work has been described by The New York Times as “bold,” “forceful,” and providing a “much needed refresh.”  Hear selections of her work and gain insights into her process during this conversation series at the Ringling College of Art and Design on Tuesday March 12 at 7pm. 

On Thursday, March 14 at 6:30pm, the popular “Hermitage Sunsets @ Nathan Benderson Park” series continues with “More Than Music,” featuring 2022 Hermitage Greenfield Prize finalist and Guggenheim Fellow Etienne Charles, along with returning Hermitage alumna Kamala Sankaram (pictured). These two Hermitage Fellows make more than excellent music; they create experiences that can make you feel the rhythm as quickly as they make you think. Join these two talented artists for a sunset experience of music and conversation by the lake at Nathan Benderson Park.  

On Friday, March 22 at 12pm, Hermitage Fellow Elisa Bocanegra gives the keynote address to the Venice Writers Festival at the William H. Jervey, Jr. Venice Library. Following the success of last year’s participation from Hermitage Fellow and poet Rigoberto Gonzalez, the Hermitage is pleased to partner once more with this excellent forum of community writers. Bocanegra, a recipient of the 2022-2023 Fulbright as well as the TCG Leadership U Grant, will speak about the intersection of writing, performance, and community building through her work on projects such as Nuestro Planeta, which aims to educate audiences about environmental justice in the Americas.

Returning Hermitage Fellow and multi-talented author and poet Brandel France de Bravo will marry the worlds of creative poetry and public health policy in an in-depth conversation about the craft and the future of the creative writing field. Join the Hermitage at Ringling College of Art and Design on Tuesday, March 26 at 7pm for the second installment of “Hermitage Writes @ Ringling College,” part of the college’s Creative Writing Department. 

All of these Hermitage programs are free and open to the public (with a $5/person registration fee), offering Gulf Coast audiences a rare chance to engage and interact with some of the world’s leading talent. Due to capacity limitations, registration is required.

Hermitage Announces Special January Program in Advance of Two Word-Class Exhibitions 

The Hermitage Artist Retreat announced a newly added program on Friday, January 5th at 5pm on the Hermitage Beach on Manasota Key. This exciting new program will offer a glimpse into the creative process of three distinguished Hermitage Fellows in the midst of creating new work. Multidisciplinary visual artist Anne Patterson and composer Patrick Harlin will share insight into work they’ve developed at the Hermitage, as well as a “sneak preview” into their process for creating their new collaborative immersive exhibition, The Truth of the Night Sky, premiering in April of 2024 at the Ringling College of Art and Design’s Sarasota Art Museum. Before the conversation, visual and multidisciplinary artist Anthony Hawley will open his studio and share in-process works as well as selections from past creations.  

After meeting while in residence at the Hermitage and continuing their collaboration, multidisciplinary visual artist Anne Patterson and composer Patrick Harlin have joined forces to develop the upcoming exhibition at the Sarasota Art Museum: The Truth of the Night Sky. Patterson, who is familiar to Sarasota audiences from previous exhibitions at The Ringling Museum and whose “Divine Pathways” is currently represented in New York at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, is widely celebrated for her grand environments that immerse the viewer and surround the senses. This original experience opening in Sarasota this spring is augmented by Harlin’s composition “Earthrise,” inspired by the revolutionary photograph taken of the Earth on humanity’s first turn around the moon in 1968. This exhibition will be on display at the Sarasota Art Museum from April 21, 2024 through September 29, 2024. 

Multidisciplinary artist Anne Patterson, a celebrated Hermitage alumna with an impressive background in immersive exhibitions and theatrical design, has frequently collaborated with musicians, including fellow Hermitage alum Patrick Harlin, to design mesmerizing environments. For this collaborative project, Patterson and Harlin, who met and began working together as a result of their time at the Hermitage Artist Retreat, are expanding upon Harlin’s original composition Earthrise (2022), an orchestral piece inspired by the eponymous photograph (1968) taken by Apollo 8 astronaut William Anders on humanity’s first-ever trip around the moon. The original composition by Patrick Harlin, who was also the very first recipient of the Hermitage Prize in Composition at the Aspen Music Festival, will play as visitors pass through the galleries. The exhibition will feature several works by Anne Patterson, as well as a suspended tree and her signature satin ribbon installation work. With each step, visitors will travel imaginatively through space and time.

Of their time at the Hermitage Artist Retreat, Patterson and Harlin are fond of saying that their experience was invaluable to their craft and their collaboration, allowing them to achieve new heights, find a unique environmental inspiration, and explore new possibilities in their work. Located on Manasota Key, many artists who are invited to make work on the Hermitage’s historic campus note the immediacy of the night sky around them, augmented by the crashing waves only steps away to create a primal and inspirational connection to nature. The Truth of the Night Sky conveys the sense of collectiveawe and wonderment we may feel under the dome of the stars or in the vibrating air of a concert hall, and it thus channels a message of hope and unity. Anne Patterson’s Hermitage Residency is generously sponsored by Ellen Berman & Roy Cohen.

Anne Patterson and Patrick Harlin have also been collaborating separately on a new oratorio based on Herman Hesse’s Siddhartha, alongside two other Hermitage alumni who they met during their residency – Grammy Award-winning contemporary classical composer Christopher Theofanidis and celebrated poet Melissa Studdard.

In addition to the forthcoming exhibit from Patterson and Harlin, Sarasota Art Museum will also be presentingImpact: Contemporary Artists at the Hermitage Artist Retreat from March 10, 2024 through July 7, 2024. This exhibition will feature work from ten nationally and internationally renowned Hermitage alumni artists: Diana Al-HadidSanford Biggers (2010 Hermitage Greenfield Prize Winner), Chitra GaneshTodd GrayTrenton Doyle Hancock (2013 Hermitage Greenfield Prize Winner), Michelle LopezTed Riederer, the late John SimsKukuli Velarde, and William Villalongo.

A key factor these ten artists have in common is that over the past two decades, each has been a Fellow at the Hermitage Artist Retreat on Manasota Key — a unique experience that contributed to each of their creative processes in a variety of ways. Overseen by guest curator and former Hermitage Curatorial Council member Dan Cameron, Impact represents the first major exhibition in collaboration between the Hermitage and Sarasota Art Museum, followed by and overlapping with The Truth of the Night Sky. The exhibit will feature work across a range of media, including sculpture, painting, installation, video, photography, printmaking, ceramics, textiles, and social practice. Sanford Biggers has remained engaged as not only a Hermitage alumnus, but also now a member of the Hermitage’s National Curatorial Council.

“We are incredibly excited to partner with the Sarasota Art Museum to present these two world-class exhibitions from Hermitage Fellows to Sarasota audiences,” says Hermitage Artistic Director and CEO Andy Sandberg. “This program on January 5th will offer an exciting ‘sneak peek’ into the making of these artists’ work and their unique collaboration.” Throughout the year, the Hermitage introduces Gulf Coast audiences to many exceptional Hermitage artists, and “in the case of the performing arts,” Sandberg adds, “we are frequently offering Sarasota audiences a ‘first look’ at more fully realized works of music, theater, and more. Now, this collaboration with Sarasota Art Museum provides Sarasota audiences the opportunity to experience more complete works created by acclaimed Hermitage visual artists.”

Hermitage Announces New Events for January and February 

The Hermitage Artist Retreat (Sarasota County, Florida) today announced new programs throughout the months of January and February. Continuing its commitment to innovative year-round arts programming, these events will be presented throughout the Gulf Coast region, from the Hermitage’s beautiful beachfront campus on Manasota Key to the heart of Sarasota’s vibrant downtown arts scene in collaboration with Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, Nathan Benderson Park, and The Town of Longboat Key. Hermitage programs introduce world-renowned artists to Florida’s Gulf Coast community and invite audiences across the country to experience candid and engaging conversations, open rehearsals, play readings, film screenings, and more.

Newly announced programs from Hermitage Fellows in January kick off on the Hermitage Beach with celebrated playwright, award-winning actor, and “American Horror Story” writer Halley Feiffer, who offers insight into her unique journey and her creative process. Feiffer’s program will be preceded by an open-studio experience from the imaginative mind of multidisciplinary visual artist Anthony Hawley. Join us on Friday, January 5th starting at 5pm for this special program on the Hermitage campus, blurring the line between humor and heartbreak, fantasy and reality, past and present. This event is presented in partnership with Asolo Repertory Theatre.

On Friday, January 12th at 5pm, Hermitage alumni Stephen Cole and David Evans share musical theater selections from their Golden Age musical, Merman’s Apprentice, on the Hermitage Beach. Twelve-year-old Muriel Plakenstein doesn’t know that the ‘golden age’ of music is coming to an end, so she runs away from home to become a theater star and meets the Queen of Broadway, Ethel Merman. Hear selections from this musical fable and learn more about what inspired the musical’s journey from this collaborative team. 

On Thursday, January 18th at 5pm on the Hermitage Beach, three gifted Hermitage Fellows share how their voice and vision inform their artistic practice across disciplines. Jacquelyn Reingold is an accomplished writer for stage and screen; Joan La Barbara’s groundbreaking vocal stylings have been heard across the country; Laura Kaminsky is one of the most-produced composer-librettists in contemporary opera. In a trifecta of innovative musical and theatrical creation, these artists represent a profound collective knowledge of the human experience and the multitude of ways it can be expressed in art.

Next up on Friday, January 19th at 5pm on Longboat Key, the Hermitage presents a cabaret of songs and stories from some of the most influential musical theater creators of our day. From Jeanine TesoriAdam GwonMichael R. Jackson, and Gavin Creel to Kit YanZoe SarnakRona Siddiqui, and more, the Hermitage has provided space and time to some of the most exciting musical theater writers working today. Hear selections from some of these composers and lyricists, performed by Sarasota’s finest talents at one of the area’s newest and most beautiful outdoor stages, Town Center at Longboat Key. This event is presented in partnership with The Town of Longboat Key on their newly built Town Center stage. 

Hermitage Fellows James M. Stephenson and Emi Ferguson make music that speaks to something universal in us all. On Thursday, January 25th at 5pm, this award-winning composer and celebrated flutist invite Sarasota audiences to hear selections and gain direct insight into their composition process. Each will share award-winning compositions that have been played across the county to great acclaim with audiences at Selby Gardens’ downtown Sarasota campus as the popular “Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby Gardens” series continues its fourth collaborative season. 

On Friday, February 2nd at 5pm, the Hermitage treats audiences to two gifted brass and jazz improvisors as they make music and ‘talk shop’ at Nathan Benderson Park. Hermitage Fellows Amir ElSaffar and Chris Ryan Williams will present an imaginative evening of sonic possibilities as the “Hermitage Sunsets @ Nathan Benderson Park” series continues. 

As a special addition in February, Hermitage Fellow, Pulitzer Prize recipient, and Tony Award winner Doug Wright (Goodnight, Oscar; I Am My Own Wife) returns to Sarasota to shed light on the role of a librettist and the uniquely collaborative process of creating and adapting Broadway musicals like his Grey Gardens, Disney’s The Little Mermaid, and Hands on a Hardbody. This Music Mondays event, “Hermitage Alum Doug Wright Writes Broadway,” will feature two opportunities to hear from Wright: Monday, February 19th at 10:30am at the Church of the Palms in Sarasota, and again at 3pm at the Venice Presbyterian Church.  Presented in partnership with the Sarasota Institute of Lifetime Learning.

Nov. 30 “Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby Gardens” to Discuss State of the Arts

The Hermitage Artist Retreat announced today that a distinguished panel of arts and cultural leaders will discuss the myriad of challenges facing the arts in Florida and our country in the newly announced program “Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby Gardens: State of the Arts in Florida.” This event will take place on Thursday, November 30th at 5pm at Selby Gardens’ Historic Spanish Point campus. Hermitage Curatorial Council member Nataki Garrett, who recently served as Artistic Director of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, andTony and Olivier Award-winning producer Tom Kirdahy, a Sarasota resident and friend of the Hermitage, will participate in a discussion with the President of the Manasota Chapter of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), David Wilkins, in a conversation moderated by Hermitage Artistic Director and CEO Andy Sandberg

No matter where you get your news, it is a given reality that America – and Florida, in particular – feels more divided now than at nearly any point in our history. How does this impact the artists who call Florida home or who come here to make work? What challenges does this create for our state’s cultural economy? These esteemed professionals will share their experiences and thoughts in a candid and wide-ranging discussion on the arts community and the artists creating work in the state of Florida and beyond.  

As a leading theater director and administrator who recently served as Artistic Director of the prestigious Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Nataki Garrett has first-hand experience of the challenges arts leaders face in a polarized nation. Tony Award-winning producer Tom Kirdahy,active in both the Florida community and the national arts scene, has shared his candid views on the state of the arts with the Hermitage in previous programs. Hermitage Artistic Director and CEO Andy Sandberg will moderate the conversation, which will also feature the insight of David Wilkins from Manasota ASALH. Audience members will have the opportunity to engage with these local, national, and international experts in a frank and open discussion on the state of the arts in Florida and beyond.

“Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby Gardens” is now in its fourth year as part of the Hermitage’s 2023-2024 season. The outdoor series — a continuing collaboration between the Hermitage Artist Retreat and Marie Selby Botanical Gardens — features performances, conversations, and explorations of works-in-progress by Hermitage artists-in-residence and alumni. 

“We are excited to now be in our fourth season of ‘Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby Gardens,’” says Hermitage Artistic Director and CEO Andy Sandberg. “It has been a joy to bring rich arts and cultural experiences to both of Selby Gardens’ beautiful waterfront locations, giving audiences the chance to experience one-of-a-kind performances and ‘sneak peeks’ into the creative process of leading national artists. We know this event with Nataki, Tom, and David will be a particularly compelling and candid conversation that’s relevant to all who appreciate and value the arts in our community.” 

These outdoor events are one part of many “Hermitage North” programs and collaborations planned throughout the season, spanning Sarasota County and the surrounding region. The programs feature industry-leading playwrights, visual artists, musicians, poets, choreographers, and more — all free to the members of our community with a $5/person registration fee. 

“Hermitage Sunsets @ Benderson Park” Kicks Off New Season on November 16

The Hermitage Artist Retreat announces a newly developed partnership with Nathan Benderson Park as a part of the Hermitage’s 2023-2024 season. Expanding on the success of the Hermitage programming at Selby Gardens and other venues throughout the region, the new “Hermitage Sunsets @ Benderson Park” series launches this year following a popular Hermitage program at the park last season. That event featured award-winning composer and Hermitage alumna Zoe Sarnak and an ensemble of performers who shared Sarnak’s original songs as a part of the Ruby E. Crosby Alumni Music Initiative at the Hermitage. Each program in the “Hermitage Sunsets @ Benderson Park” series will feature a celebrated Hermitage artist (or artists) to be announced. The outdoor series features performances and explorations of works-in-progress by Hermitage artists-in-residence and alumni.

“Hermitage Sunsets @ Benderson Park” events are currently scheduled to take place by Benderson Lake near the Nathan Benderson Family Finish Tower (5851 Nathan Benderson Circle, Sarasota, FL 34235). The first event in this series – scheduled for Thursday, November 16th at 5pm – features two of the most innovative voices working in theater today. “Hermitage Sunsets @ Benderson Park: Theater on the Lake” showcases the talents of Hermitage Fellows Terry Guest and James Anthony Tyler. These two talentssplit the bill to share some of their latest work and discuss the creative process as the sun goes down over the lake. This first program in the new series is presented in partnership with Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, Urbanite Theatre, and Nathan Benderson Park Conservancy. Admission is free, but registration is required ($5/person) at HermitageArtistRetreat.org.

“As we continue to offer one-of-a-kind Hermitage programming throughout the region, we are excited to welcome Sarasota and Gulf Coast audiences to another fantastic venue where they can share a magical evening with Hermitage artists against the beautiful backdrop of Nathan Benderson Park’s lakefront location,” says Hermitage Artistic Director and CEO Andy Sandberg. “We are thrilled to build upon the success of our first program at Nathan Benderson Park last spring. Much like our beach programs on Manasota Key and other locations throughout Sarasota and Manatee County, these hour-long events will offer our community the opportunity to experience a ‘sneak peek’ into these extraordinary artists’ creative process.” 

“We are honored to partner with the Hermitage Artist Retreat to celebrate the arts at Nathan Benderson Park,” added Bruce C. Patneaude, Chief Operating Officer of Nathan Benderson Park Conservancy. “The artists coming to the Hermitage are some of the very best in the world. It is a unique opportunity to watch their creative performances and interactions with the audience. Hosting this event at the Park is one of the many ways we are pleased to bring creativity, diversity, and culture to the Sarasota County and Manatee County communities. We look forward to building a fantastic annual series of events.” 

Hermitage Fellow and award-winning writer-performer Terry Guest is the playwright behind Urbanite Theatre’s extended 2021 run of At the Wake of a Dead Drag Queen, their upcoming production of Oak in 2024, and the Hermitage’s 2023 presentation of The Madness of Mary Todd, which was part of the “Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby Gardens” series, also in partnership with Urbanite. Guest, a Chicago-based playwright, also recently shared selections from his work about Eartha Kitt, A Ghost in Satin, on the Hermitage Beach. His play The Magnolia Ballet has been performed all around the country and was the recipient of two Jeff Awards in Chicago, with Guest’s play Marie Antionette and the Magical Negros winning three Jeff Awards. “We are thrilled to once again partner with the Hermitage in support of Terry’s remarkable work,” said Urbanite Producing Artistic Director Summer Dawn Wallace. “Sharing insight into Terry’s process at this scenic outdoor venue is the perfect way to get audiences tuned into this brilliant writer’s voice and excited for this season’s production of Oak.” 

Hermitage Fellow James Anthony Tyler, the third annual recipient of the Horton Foote Award, has the distinguished honor of being one of the first playwrights commissioned by Audible to produce an audio play specifically for that platform, Hop Tha A, which Sarasota audiences will recall hearing selections from on the Hermitage Beach during Tyler’s last residency. “James’ works tell the kinds of stories we uplift at WBTT, those that promote and celebrate African-American history and experience,” added Nate Jacobs, Founder and Artistic Director of Westcoast Black Theater Troupe. “We always enjoy partnering with the Hermitage to celebrate some of the nation’s most exciting new voices and playwrights.”

Confirmed 2023-2024 dates for this first official season of “Hermitage Sunsets @ Benderson Park” include Thursday, November 16, 2023, at 5pm; Friday, February 2, 2024, at 5pm; and Thursday, March 14, 2024, at 6:30pm.

These outdoor events are one part of many “Hermitage North” programs, series, and collaborations planned throughout the season, spanning Sarasota County and the surrounding region. The programs feature industry-leading and award-winning playwrights, visual artists, musicians, poets, choreographers, and more — all free to the members of our community with a $5/person registration fee.