Category: Events

Sam Beam and Lindsey Ferrentino present June program

The Hermitage Artist Retreat today announced a new program, “Script & Song: A Beachfront Evening of Theater and Music” on the Hermitage Beach, featuring multiple Grammy Award-nominated singer-songwriter Sam Beam and celebrated Broadway playwright Lindsey Ferrentino. On Monday, June 22ndat 6:30pm, Beam and Ferrentino will offer insight into their individual artistic practices and share original work and music from their impressive careers, while discussing the nuances of collaborating across mediums. This program will take place just before sunset on the Hermitage Beach.

Iron & Wine is the five-time Grammy Award nominated musical project of Hermitage Fellow and singer-songwriter Sam Beam. Born and raised in South Carolina, Beam is a former film professor who got his start making home recordings before landing on Sub Pop Records. Iron & Wine’s 2002 debut, The Creek Drank the Cradle, garnered both critical and popular acclaim, vaulting Beam into the spotlight of the burgeoning indie folk/Americana scene as one of its new and leading voices. For over twenty years, Iron & Wine has captured the emotion and imagination of listeners with distinctly cinematic songs. His recorded output includes seven full length studio records, collaborations with Calexico, Ben Bridwell of Band of Horses, and Jesca Hoop. Beam has released countless EP’s, singles, compilations, soundtracks, and a live concert documentary. 

Hermitage Fellow Lindsey Ferrentino is a celebrated playwright, screenwriter, and director who returned to Broadway this spring with her second show of the season: The Fear of 13, currently running and starring two-time Academy Award winner Adrien Brody. She previously made her Broadway debut as the bookwriter for The Queen of Versailles, starring Kristin Chenoweth. Her work includes the Olivier Award-nominated Best New Play, The Fear of 13 (Donmar Warehouse, London); Ugly Lies the Bone (Roundabout Theatre, New York; National Theatre, London); and Amy and the Orphans (also Roundabout). Ferrentino is currently writing and directing the film adaptation of her celebrated play Amy and the Orphans. She is also adapting Rebecca Yarros’ beloved novel In the Likely Event for Netflix and has been included in Variety‘s 2025 “Broadway Stars to Watch.” 

“We are excited to welcome audiences back to the Hermitage Beach for what promises to be a memorable evening with the talents of Sam Beam and Lindsey Ferrentino,” said Hermitage Artistic Director and CEO Andy Sandberg. “This iconic beachfront remains an unparalleled venue to introduce our community to some of the world’s leading artists, and we are thrilled to have Sam and Lindsey sharing their work and insight with our Hermitage audience.”

Powerhouses in their respective fields, these two decorated artists are at the top of their game in the worlds of contemporary folk music and contemporary theater.  Flood Magazine notes that Beam’s latest album, Hen’s Teeth, “hums through the speakers like a quiet, sudden revelation.” Ferrentino’s first major New York production, Ugly Lies the Bone, was a New York Times Critic’s Pick in 2015 before transferring to the National Theater in London and has been produced in over 100 productions across the world. Since then, she has had several hits in both the United States and abroad, writing with what Variety calls “a moral conscience second to none among her generation of playwrights.” In this Hermitage Beach program, Beam and Ferrentino will offer insight into their individual artistic practices and share original work and music from their impressive careers, while discussing the nuances of collaborating across mediums on Monday, June 22 at 6:30pm on the Hermitage Beach on Manasota Key. 

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.

Grammy Nominee Rona Siddiqui Returns to the Hermitage to Present Original Music

The Hermitage Artist Retreat today announced a new program, “Songwriting for Character” on the Hermitage Beach, featuring Grammy Award-nominated artist, musical theater composer, and returning Hermitage Fellow Rona Siddiqui. On Thursday, May 28th at 6:30pm, Siddiqui returns to the Hermitage Beach to offer insight into her approach to songwriting in this sunset program. 

Having won some of musical theater’s most prestigious awards as a songwriter, including the Kleban Prize for lyric writing and a Jonathan Larson grant, Siddiqui has also collaborated on notable Broadway and Off-Broadway musicals as a music director and orchestrator – including the Pulitzer Prize-winning A Strange Loop, written by Hermitage Fellow Michael R. Jackson. Siddiqui has previously shared her work at a Hermitage Beach program in a 2020, at the 2024 Hermitage Artful Lobster, and as Music Director for the Hermitage’s 20th Anniversary Celebration at the Van Wezel, which featured Hermitage Artistic Director Andy Sandberg and multiple Tony Award-nominated Broadway talents. For her upcoming program on May 28th, Siddiqui will offer a look into her songwriting techniques and share some of her original work as the sun sets into the Gulf on Manasota Key.  

Rona Siddiqui is a composer/lyricist based in NYC. She is a recipient of the prestigious Kleban Prize, Jonathan Larson Grant, Mark O’Donnell Prize, and Billie Burke Ziegfeld Award. Her show THE BROWN MUSICAL: A New Brown Musical, an autobiographical comedy about growing up bi-ethnic in America, has had a concert at 54 Below and development at Playwrights Horizons. Other musicals include Father Time, co-created by Bryce Pinkham, Zack Fine, and Hermitage Fellow Kirya Traber, Expect Victory, Rattle the Cage, and Hip-Hop Cinderella. She is the recipient of the ASCAP Harold Adamson Lyric Award, the ASCAP Foundation Mary Rodgers/Lorenz Hart Award, and the ASCAP Foundation/Max Dreyfus Scholarship. She has performed on NPR’s “Tiny Desk,” The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, and Late Night with Seth Meyers. Her Broadway music direction credits include Pulitzer Prize, Tony, and Obie Award-winning and Grammy Award-nominated musical, A Strange Loop, written by Hermitage Fellow Michael R. Jackson. Her Off Broadway works include Bella: An American Tall Tale and Who’s Your Baghdaddy, with orchestration credits for Monsoon Wedding, An Untitled New Play by Justin Timberlake, and numerous albums with Broadway Records and Broadway Backwards. Siddiqui is on the faculty at BerkleeNYC, New York University, and Marymount Manhattan College. She earned her Masters from New York University’s Graduate Musical Theater Writing Program.

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 with no intermission. Due to capacity limitations, registration is required at HermitageArtistRetreat.org.

Visual Artist Charisse Pearlina Weston Honored at Hermitage Greenfield Prize Celebration

The annual Hermitage Greenfield Prize Dinner on Sunday, April 12th honored visual artist Charisse Pearlina Weston. This was the central event of a three-day celebration, hosted by the Hermitage Artist Retreat (Andy Sandberg, Artistic Director and CEO) in partnership with the Greenfield Foundation. The gala evening was presented at Michael’s on East and featured inspiring performances from Tony Award-nominated Broadway star Will Swenson (Hair, A Beautiful Noise), accompanied by pianist Joseph Holt; original songs performed by Hermitage Fellow and 2024 Hermitage Greenfield Prize-finalist Britton Smith, accompanied by AJ Jagannath; and an unexpected performance of hit song “Golden,” written by Academy Award-winning Hermitage Fellow Mark Sonnenblick and sung by Maicy Powell. The annual gala raised $400,000 in support of the Hermitage’s mission, in addition to the Greenfield Foundation’s annual gift of $175,000. Hermitage Artistic Director and CEO Andy Sandberg served as master of ceremonies, with Co-Chairs Ellen & Richard Sandor, who announced an additional commitment of $250,000 to underwrite the “Sandor Residency at the Hermitage.” 

As this year’s HGP recipient, Weston receives a $35,000 commission, along with an extended residency at the Hermitage Artist Retreat. Sandberg announced at the event that Weston will also receive a world premiere exhibition in 2028 at The Ringling Museum of Art, presented in collaboration with the Hermitage.

The Hermitage Greenfield Prize (HGP) Dinner kicked off with a year-in-review video showcasing highlighting this year of transformational growth for the Hermitage. The inspirational video was followed by a powerhouse performance from Maicy Powell singing “Golden” from the global mega-hit KPop Demon Hunters, first heard by Sarasota audiences last summer on the Hermitage Beach; “Golden” was written by Hermitage alumnus Mark Sonnenblick, who recently won an Academy Award for this song. Andy Sandberg took the stage as master of ceremonies and spoke about the legacy and impact of the Hermitage Greenfield Prize, thanking Hermitage supporters, friends, and partners. This was followed by a brief video encapsulating the level of talent and the impact that the Hermitage Greenfield Prize has on the greater artistic landscape as well as the spotlight this prestigious award shines on the region. Sandbergthen introduced the evening’s headliner, Tony Award-nominated Broadway star Will Swenson. Swenson started the night with a throwback song from the musical Adrift in Macao. Swenson spoke of meeting Andy Sandberg twenty years ago when they worked together on that show; Sandberg worked with Swenson again as a producer of Hair on Broadway, in which Will co-starred opposite Hermitage Fellow Gavin Creel, earning them both Tony Award nominations. Swenson then picked up a guitar to perform a moving rendition of the song “Gold” from the movie and musical Once. Accompanying the evening on piano was Joseph Holt. Swenson expressed his gratitude for all the Hermitage supporters who recognize the importance of championing new talent and new work.

After a dinner provided by Michael’s on East, the festivities continued with a congratulatory video from past Hermitage Greenfield Prize winners Rucyl Mills (2025), Deepa Purohit (2024), and Sandy Rodriguez (2023). This was followed by a special appearance from Tony Award-winning singer, musician, and Hermitage alumnus Britton Smith, who was accompanied by “Britton and the Sting” bandmate and returning Hermitage Fellow Andrew “AJ” Jagannath. Smith, a past Hermitage Greenfield Prize finalist,charmed the audience with stories from his recent Hermitage residency and unforgettable performances of his original songs “Come to Me” and ‘Bucket of Love.”

Following Smith’s performance, Sandberg introduced curator, co-founder of ARTNOIR, and 2026 HGP juror Larry Ossei-Mensah, who described Charisse’s singular artistic style as having “rigor, curiosity, and imagination,” adding that “the time and space given through this commission is a catalytic moment for her career.” Ossei-Mensah went on to share how excited he is for our community to get to know Charisse as an artist, writer, and creator.  Following a brief video presentation of her work, Sandberg and Ossei-Mensah presented Charisse Pearlina Weston with this year’s Hermitage Greenfield Prize. “I didn’t quite realize what I was walking into this weekend, but I can honestly say that I have never felt so welcomed,” said Weston. Thank you to the Greenfield Foundation, Andy and the Hermitage team, this wonderful community, and all of you. It is an amazing honor to be here.” 

To close out this memorable night after an enthusiastic paddle raise, Will Swenson returned to the stage, first singing “Sara” from the musical Murder Ballad, written by Hermitage alumna Julia Jordan; Swenson debuted the role of Tom in its Off-Broadway premiere. Swenson closed out the night with a rousing rendition of Neil Diamond’s crowd-favorite “Sweet Caroline,” having originated the role of the iconic rock legend in the Broadway musical A Beautiful Noise. Needless to say, all guests were enthusiastically singing along!

“This was a truly remarkable evening and a joyful celebration of visual art and this incredible prize,” said Hermitage Artistic Director and CEO Andy Sandberg. “It was an honor to celebrate Charisse Pearlina Weston, and we can’t wait to introduce her original commission to our Gulf Coast community. It was thrilling to hear unforgettable live performances from Will Swenson and original songs by Britton Smith, along with inspiring performances from AJ Jagannath, Maicy Powell, Joe Holt, and more. We are so grateful to the Greenfield Foundation, the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, and all our sponsors and donors for their belief in our mission and the support of new work.”

The annual Prize Dinner anchored a series of events celebrating the impact and legacy of the Hermitage Greenfield Prize. The programming kicked off on Saturday, April 11th at The Ringling’s Historic Asolo Theater, where Hermitage audiences had a chance to meet Charisse Pearlina Weston. This event included an in-depth conversation with this year’s 2026 HGP Winner, alongside 2026 HGP juror Larry Ossei-Mensah, offering an introduction to Weston’s work and career, as well as insight into her plans for this new commission and a sampling of her past work.

On Monday, April 13th the world premiere commission presentation from 2024 HGP recipient Deepa Purohit, Mxx: The Dignity Project, was presented at the Asolo Rep’s Koski Center. The moving and inspiring workshop presentation featured an extraordinary cast of four South Asian women, including Hermitage Fellow Nandita Shenoy, Sara Haider, Indika Senanayake, and Rita Wolf.

The Hermitage Greenfield Prize is presented in partnership with the Philadelphia-based Greenfield Foundation, who launched this initiative with the Hermitage in 2009. The Community Foundation of Sarasota County once again served as the lead community sponsor for this year’s festivities.

Weston was selected by a distinguished jury that included Ian Alteveer, Beal Family Chair of Contemporary Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Alison Gass, Founding Executive Director of the Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco; and Larry Ossei-Mensah, independent curator and co-founder of ARTNOIR, a nonprofit supporting artists, curators, cultural workers, and emerging patrons. For her Hermitage Greenfield Prize commission, Charisse Pearlina Weston will create a new body of work examining specters of desire, control, and recognition through the phenomenon of so-called “zombie laws” – legal statutes that persist beyond their supposed obsolescence. Rather than treating these laws as dormant remnants, Weston approaches them as active structures that continue to organize bodies and social life through desire, fear, punishment, and moral authority. The project draws on Zora Neale Hurston’s ethnographic writing on zombies in Haiti, where the zombie emerges not as spectacle, but as a social figure shaped by unmet desires for recognition, care, and belonging. This commission deepens Weston’s ongoing investigation into the dialectics of Black interior life and resistance, extending her exploration of how structures of power and surveillance produce constrictive intimacies, and how tactics of refusal enable Black interior life to re-inscribe intimacy despite those constraints.

Past winners of this distinguished honor include Rucyl Mills, composer/sound artist (2025); Deepa Purohit, playwright (2024); Rennie Harris, choreographer (2023), Sandy Rodriguez, visual artist (2023), Angélica Negrón, composer (2022); Aleshea Harris, playwright (2021); Helga Davis, composer (2019); Martyna Majok, playwright (2018); David Burnett, photojournalist (2017); Coco Fusco, visual artist (2016); Bobby Previte, composer (2015); Nilo Cruz, playwright (2014); Trenton Doyle Hancock, visual artist (2013); Vijay Iyer, composer (2012); John Guare, playwright (2011); Sanford Biggers, visual artist (2010); Craig Lucas, playwright (2009); and Eve Beglarian, composer (2009).

Hermitage Announces New Programs at Benderson Park and Selby Gardens  


Featuring Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-Winning Playwright and Composer MICHAEL R. JACKSON, Broadway and Television Actor ADAM CHANLER-BERAT, and Returning Hermitage Composer JULIAN HORNIK

The Hermitage Artist Retreat today announced two new Hermitage programs featuring Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning playwright and composer Michael R. Jackson (A Strange Loop, White Girl in Danger, Teeth), celebrated Broadway and television actor Adam Chanler-Berat (Next to Normal, Peter and the Starcatcher, HBO’s Gossip Girl), and returning Hermitage Fellow and composer Julian Hornik, a recipient of the Jonathan Larson Grant who recently collaborated with Academy Award-wining Hermitage Fellow Mark Sonnenblick. Hornik’s residency is made possible through the McNally Fellowship at the Hermitage, supported by the Terrence McNally Foundation.

On Thursday, April 30 at 6:30pm, the Hermitage will present Hermitage Sunsets @ Benderson Park: “Making Songs and Making Sense,” featuring returning Hermitage Fellow, Pulitzer Prize winner, and Tony Award-winning playwright and composer Michael R. Jackson. Jackson exploded into the public consciousness with the premiere of his celebrated musical A Strange Loop, which transferred to Broadway after an acclaimed run at Playwrights Horizons, earning Jackson a Pulitzer Prize for Drama, a Tony Award for Best Musical, a Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical, and a total of eleven Tony Award nominations for the production. Registering to be in the audience for this special Hermitage program might just offer a ‘sneak peek’ into what is next for this celebrated theater writer. In 2022, Jackson was named as one of Time Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People.” A returning Hermitage Fellow, Jackson has previously shared selections from A Strange Loop and his original musical White Girl in Danger with Hermitage audiences after developing the latter during his time at the Hermitage. This time, Jackson will offer insight into his latest work and his creative process.

Then on Wednesday, May 6th at 6:30pm, the Hermitage will present Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby Gardens: “The New Generation of Musical Theater,” featuring two powerhouse writers and performers. Adam Chanler-Berat, a celebrated Broadway and television actor as well as a playwright, is known for originating leading roles in Next to Normal, Peter and the Starcatcher, and Amélie, as well as appearing as Jordan Glassberg on HBO’s Gossip Girl. Returning Hermitage Fellow Julian Hornik has developed work with Academy Award-winning Hermitage Fellow Mark Sonnenblick and is a recipient of the Jonathan Larson Grant from the American Theatre Wing. These two extraordinary talents are frequent collaborators and rising stars in the New York musical theater world. They are now here at the Hermitage developing a new musical together. Join us for the latest “Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby Gardens” program as we hear these celebrated artists talk about their creative process and share original songs. 

Julian Hornik’s Hermitage residency is made possible through the McNally Fellowship at the Hermitage, generously sponsored by the Terrence McNally Foundation, a nonprofit organization committed to supporting bold new voices in the American theater by providing support to early-career playwrights and the institutions that support them. The McNally Foundation’s mission to champion new playwrights aligns with the mission of the Hermitage Artist Retreat: to inspire and foster the most influential and consequential art and artists of our time. Created by legendary playwright/librettist Terrence McNallyand supported through the ongoing royalties of his work, the Foundation is also committed to supporting LGBTQ+ causes, as McNally did throughout his life. Following Terrence’s passing, Tom Kirdahy stated that the Foundation would continue the legendary playwright’s “singular legacy of mentorship and activism.”Kirdahy, a Tony and Olivier Award-winning Broadway producer and the late Terrence McNally’s husband, is the president of Tom Kirdahy Productions and a principal trustee of the McNally Foundation. He is currently represented in New York as the lead producer of the Tony Award-winning musical Hadestown, Just in Time,Ragtime, and the hit Off-Broadway revival of Little Shop of Horrors. 

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 with no intermission. Due to capacity limitations, registration is required at HermitageArtistRetreat.org.

Broadway Star Will Swenson to Perform at 2026 Hermitage Greenfield Prize Dinner 

The Hermitage Artist Retreat (Andy Sandberg, Artistic Director and CEO) today announced that Tony Award-nominated Broadway star and Obie Award winner Will Swenson (Hair, A Beautiful Noise, Les Misérables) will headline the 2026 Hermitage Greenfield Prize Dinner on Sunday, April 12th. He will be joined by returning Hermitage Fellow Britton Smith, who has appeared in two recent Hermitage programs and will share some of his original music.

Will Swenson is celebrated as one of Broadway’s most versatile actors. He is a Tony Award nominee and an Obie Award winner who recently starred as Neil Diamond in the Broadway musical A Beautiful Noise. He previously co-starred with Hermitage Fellow Gavin Creel in the hit Broadway revival of Hair. Swenson’s acclaimed performance as Berger earned him Tony Award and Drama Desk Award nominations. (Hermitage Artistic Director and CEO Andy Sandberg won a Tony Award for his role as a producer of this acclaimed revival.) Swenson’s portrayal of Charles Guiteau in the Off-Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Assassins earned him nominations for Outer Critics Circle, Lucille Lortel, and Drama League Awards. He won an Obie Award for his role in Jerry Springer: The Opera. Swenson’s other Broadway and Off-Broadway credits include Priscilla: Queen of the Desert, Les Misérables, Waitress, Murder Ballad (written by Hermitage Fellow Julia Jordan), Rock of Ages, Pericles, Nantucket Sleighride, Little Miss Sunshine, Adrift in Macao, and many more. Swenson’s film and television credits include The Greatest Showman, The Kitchen, This is Where I Leave You, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Law & Order (SVU & CI), The Good Wife, Hit and Run, The Bite, First Kill, and Elsbeth.

Returning Hermitage Fellow Britton Smith will also be performing at the popular spring gala, sharing some of his original music developed at the Hermitage. He is a 2024 Hermitage Greenfield Prize finalist, a Broadway veteran, and a Tony Award winner for his work with the Broadway Advocacy Coalition. Smith, the leader of the self-described “funk liberation band” Britton and the Sting, has been called a “force to be reckoned with” and a “tornado of talent and energy” by Broadway World. Hermitage audiences will remember Britton’s memorable performances in the “Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby Gardens” series, including his most recent program: “The Rising Stars of Jazz and Soul.”

“I’ve known Will Swenson for twenty years, and I’m so excited that he’ll be sharing his incredible talents with our Hermitage audiences at this year’s event,” says Hermitage Artistic Director and CEO Andy Sandberg. “Will and Britton are both extraordinary performers, and guests at this year’s Hermitage Greenfield Prize Dinner are in for a real treat – this is going to be a night to remember!”

Past performers at the Hermitage Greenfield Prize Dinner have included Tony and Grammy Award winner Rachel Bay Jones (Dear Evan Hansen, Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage), Tony and Emmy Award nominee Eden Espinosa (Wicked, Lempicka, Rent), Tony Award nominee Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer (Beetlejuice, Spamalot), and Tony Award-winning Hermitage Fellow Gavin Creel (Hello Dolly, Hair, Walk on Through). 

This year’s event Co-Chairs are Ellen and Richard Sandor. The Hermitage Greenfield Prize is presented by the Hermitage Artist Retreat in partnership with the Philadelphia-based Greenfield Foundation, with the Community Foundation of Sarasota County serving as the lead community sponsor. Media sponsors include The Herald Tribune and SRQ Magazine. A full list of this year’s sponsors, benefactors, and partners can be found at HermitageArtistRetreat.org/HGPDinner2026.

Tables and sponsorships for the 2026 Hermitage Greenfield Prize Dinner may be purchased by contacting the Hermitage Development Office at (941) 475-2098, Ext. 2. Sponsorship levels for this popular Hermitage benefit range from $2,000 to $10,000. Please note: this event has limited capacity remaining. 

Full Event Schedule for the 2026 Hermitage Greenfield Prize Celebration

The Hermitage Artist Retreat (Andy Sandberg, Artistic Director and CEO), in collaboration with the Greenfield Foundation, presents the 18th year of the Hermitage Greenfield Prize Celebration. The events span from Saturday, April 11th through Monday, April 13th, including the annual Hermitage Greenfield Prize Dinner in Sarasota on Sunday, April 12th. The celebration culminates on Monday, April 13th with the first public presentation of 2024 Hermitage Greenfield Prize winner Deepa Purohit’s original play Mxx: The Dignity Project, a new Hermitage commission presented in partnership with Asolo Repertory Theatre.  

2026 Hermitage Greenfield Prize winner Charisse Pearlina Weston will offer her first public Hermitage program in partnership with The Ringling at the Museum’s Historic Asolo Theater in Sarasota on Saturday, April 11th at 5pm. Weston, a conceptual artist and writer, contends with the dynamic interplay of violence and intimacy through repetition, enfoldment, and concealment in her work. Drawn to its fragility and danger, glass has been her primary medium for much of her career. Her recent solo exhibit, “mis/mé- (squeeze)” was a New York Times Critic’s Pick. Weston will spend an hour in conversation with 2026 Hermitage Greenfield Prize juror Larry Ossei-Mensah, independent curator and founder of ARTNOIR. Join the Hermitage for this free community event: “Repetition, Enfoldment, Concealment,” A Conversation on Art and Practice. Together, Weston and Ossei-Mensah will discuss the intricacies of Weston’s practice, offer their perspectives on the arts as a reflection of social impact, and discuss how Charisse’s Hermitage Greenfield Prize commission extends that work into new pathways.

The following night, Charisse Pearlina Weston will be celebrated at the 18th annual Hermitage Greenfield Prize Dinner, a benefit for the Hermitage Artist Retreat, starting at 6pm on Sunday, April 12that Michael’s On East (Sarasota, Florida). The annual fundraiser will feature live musical performances from leading talents of Broadway and beyond. (Guest performers will be announced at a later date.) Past guest performers at this popular event have included Tony Award nominee Eden Espinosa, Tony and Grammy Award winner Rachel Bay Jones, Tony Award nominee Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer, and Tony Award winner Gavin Creel. This elegant annual dinner heralds the jury-selected recipient of this prestigious prize, awarded this season in the discipline of visual art. The Hermitage Greenfield Prize (HGP) is a distinguished national commission awarded by the Hermitage Artist Retreat in partnership with the Philadelphia-based Greenfield Foundation; the $35,000 award rotates annually among visual art, theater, and music. The 2026 winner’s newly commissioned work will have its world premiere exhibition in Sarasota in the spring of 2028. 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. Media sponsors include The Herald Tribune, and SRQ Magazine. The co-chairs for this year’s gala dinner are Ellen & Richard Sandor. A full list of this year’s sponsors can be found at HermitageArtistRetreat.org/HGPDinner2026.

Sponsorship levels for this Hermitage Greenfield Prize Dinner, the organization’s spring benefit, range from $2,000 to $10,000. Tables and sponsorships may be purchased by contacting the Hermitage Development Office at (941) 475-2098, Ext. 2, or by emailing Development@HermitageArtistRetreat.org. 

The 2026 Hermitage Greenfield Prize Celebration will culminate on Monday, April 13th at 7pm with the first public presentation of the newly commissioned play by 2024 HGP winner Deepa Purohit, Mxx: The Dignity Project. This presentation will be presented in partnership with Asolo Repertory Theatre at the Asolo’s Koski Center. An immersive play, installation, discussion circle, and “happening,” Mxx: The Dignity Project centers the collected experiences of inter-generational women from the South Asian diaspora in America who engage or disrupt the diasporic rituals and expectations placed on their bodies as they navigate the “machinery” of the medical/elder care/end-of-life system. How do women live, age, and die with dignity in a culture where the entire medical system is built on this key tenet: to prolong life? This workshop presentation features a cast of four South Asian women, including Hermitage Fellow Nandita Shenoy, Sara Haider, Indika Senanayake, and Rita Wolf.  

Past recipients of the Hermitage Greenfield Prize include Rucyl Mills, composer and sound artist (2025); Deepa Purohit, playwright (2024); Sandy Rodriguez, visual artist (2023); Rennie Harris, dancer/choreographer (2023); Angélica Negrón, composer (2022); Aleshea Harris, playwright (2021); Helga Davis, composer / performer (2019); Martyna Majok, playwright (2018); David Burnett, photojournalist (2017); Coco Fusco, interdisciplinary artist (2016); Bobby Previte, composer / drummer (2015); Nilo Cruz, playwright (2014); Trenton Doyle Hancock, visual artist (2013); Vijay Iyer, composer/pianist (2012); John Guare, playwright (2011); Sanford Biggers, visual artist (2010); Craig Lucas, playwright (2009); and Eve Beglarian, composer (2009).

“Repetition, Enfoldment, Concealment” – A Conversation on Art and Practice with 2026 Hermitage Greenfield Prize Winner Charisse Pearlina Weston, Saturday, April 11, 2026 @ 5pm: Winner of the 2026 Hermitage Greenfield Prize in Visual Art, Charisse Pearlina Weston is a conceptual artist and writer whose work contends with the dynamic interplay of violence and intimacy through repetition, enfoldment, and concealment. Drawn to its fragility and danger, Weston has worked with glass as her primary material for much of her career. Her recent solo exhibit, “mis/mé- (squeeze)” was a New York Times Critic’s Pick, the review’s headline exclaiming “Surveillance Never Looked So Good” and noting that “in Weston’s best work, the folds and bends in her industrial ingredients seem to be concealing or safeguarding information, holding things back as they beguile.” Weston will spend this hour in conversation with 2026 Hermitage Greenfield Prize juror Larry Ossei-Mensah, independent curator and founder of ARTNOIR. Together, they will discuss the intricacies of Weston’s practice, offer their perspectives on the arts as a reflection of social impact, and discuss how her Hermitage Greenfield Prize commission extends that work into new pathways. Presented in partnership with the Greenfield Foundation, the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, and The Ringling. Registration is required at HermitageArtistRetreat.org ($5/person registration fee). The Ringling’s Historic Asolo Theater, 5401 Bay Shore Rd., Sarasota, FL 34243.

    GALA DINNER! – 2026 Hermitage Greenfield Prize Dinner, Sunday, April 12, 6pm: The 2025 Hermitage Greenfield Prize Dinner recognizes this year’s recipient, visual artist Charisse Pearlina Weston. This 18th year of the Hermitage Greenfield Prize Dinner will feature live performances from Hermitage alumni. Presented in partnership with the Greenfield Foundation. Lead Community Sponsor: the Community Foundation of Sarasota County. Michael’s On East (1212 South East Ave., Sarasota, FL 34239). For information on tables and sponsorships ($2,000 to $10,000), visit HermitageArtistRetreat.org, or call (941) 475-2098, Ext. 2.

    “Mxx: The Dignity Project,” a World Premiere Play Commission from 2024 Hermitage Greenfield Prize Winner Deepa Purohit, Monday, April 13 @ 7pm: The culminating work of her 2024 Hermitage Greenfield Prize commission, Deepa Purohit shares the first public presentation of her new play, Mxx: The Dignity Project. An immersive play, installation, discussion circle, and “happening,” Mxx centers the collected experiences of inter-generational women from the South Asian diaspora in America who engage or disrupt the diasporic rituals and expectations placed on their bodies as they navigate the “machinery” of the medical/elder care/end-of-life system. How do women live, age, and die with dignity in a culture where the entire medical system is built on this key tenet: to prolong life? This presentation features a cast of four South Asian women: Hermitage Fellow Nandita Shenoy, and actors Sara Haider, Indika Senanayake, and Rita Wolf. Presented in partnership with the Greenfield Foundation, the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, and Asolo Repertory Theatre. Registration is required at HermitageArtistRetreat.org ($5/person registration fee). Asolo Repertory Theatre’s Koski Center Coville Rehearsal Hall, 1009 Tallevast Rd., Sarasota, FL 34243.

    March 19 Program Update

    The Hermitage Artist Retreat announced a change to the March 19thprogram on the Hermitage Beach. Due to a professional conflict, Anna Deavere Smith is no longer able to attend her scheduled Hermitage residency. Tony Award nominee Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer will step in as she returns to the Hermitage to share original work, joining the previously announced Olivier Award nominee and Hermitage Major Theater Award finalist Beth Steel. This sunset program will take place on Thursday, March 19th at 6:30pm. Kritzer is a celebrated Broadway star best known for her Tony Award-nominated performance as ‘Lady of the Lake’ in Spamalot and Delia in Beetlejuice. Steel is the UK-based author of the acclaimed West End play Till the Stars Come Down, a transfer from the National Theatre. These two distinct talents will offer their unique perspectives and share excerpts of their original work in this sunset program on the Hermitage Beach. 

    Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer is an actor, comedian, writer, and returning Hermitage Fellow. She received a 2024 Tony Award nomination for her showstopping turn as ‘Lady of the Lake’ in the Broadway revival of Spamalot. Kritzer previously starred on Broadway as Delia in Beetlejuice, for which she received Drama Desk, Drama League, and Chita Rivera Award nominations. Her additional Broadway credits include Something Rotten!, Elf, Sondheim on Sondheim, Legally Blonde, A Catered Affair and Hairspray. Kritzer can be heard on several original casting recordings including “Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (as legendary comedian Carol Burnett in the series finale), “The First Lady,” “Bridge & Tunnel,” “New Amsterdam,” “Difficult People,” “Kevin Can Wait,” “Younger,” “Vinyl,” and “Law & Order.” Sarasota audiences have previously seen Leslie perform alongside Andy Sandberg in the Hermitage 20th Anniversary Concert at the Van Wezel Hall, on the Hermitage Beach sharing her original writing, at the 2023 Hermitage Greenfield Prize Dinner, and the 2024 Hermitage Artful Lobster.

    Hermitage Major Theater Award finalist Beth Steel’s most recent play, Till the Stars Come Down, had a sold out run at the National Theatre before transferring to the Theatre Royal Haymarket in London’s West End in 2025. The play was nominated for Best New Play at the 2024 Olivier Awards and has been nominated for Best Play for the 2025 Standard Theatre Awards. Her other plays include The House of Shades, which premiered at the Almeida Theatre and was a Susan Smith Blackburn finalist; the Evening Standard Award-winning Wonderland which was also a Susan Smith Blackburn finalist; and Ditch, a John Whiting Award finalist.

    On Thursday, March 19th at 6:30pm, the Hermitage will present “Dramatizing the Contemporary World,” featuring these two powerhouse theater artists. Together, Kritzer and Steel will provide a sneak peek into their creative process and share excerpts of their original work on the Hermitage Beach.  

    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 with no intermission. Due to capacity limitations, registration is required at HermitageArtistRetreat.org.

    March 19 Program Features Theater Legend Anna Deavere Smith and UK Playwright Beth Steel 

    The Hermitage Artist Retreat today announced a new March program on the Hermitage Beach featuringTony Award nominee, Pulitzer Prize finalist, and Hermitage Fellow Anna Deavere Smith, alongside Olivier Award nominee and Hermitage Major Theater Award finalist Beth Steel. Smith is a celebrated writer and performer recognized by millions for her memorable roles on stage and screen, and Steel is the UK-based author of the acclaimed West End play Till the Stars Come Down. On Thursday, March 19th at 6:30pm, these two heralded playwrights will offer their unique perspectives into playwriting and share excerpts of their original work in this sunset program on the Hermitage Beach. 

    Credited with having created a new form of theater, Anna Deavere Smith’s plays focus on contemporary issues from multiple points of view and are composed of interview excerpts. She was awarded the National Endowment for the Humanities Medal from President Obama in 2013. Her other awards include the MacArthur Fellowship, several Obie Awards, the George Polk Award in Journalism, and the Dean’s Medal from Stanford University School of Medicine. Smith was a Pulitzer Prize finalist and has received two Tony Award nominations. Her plays and films include Fires in the Mirror, Twilight: Los Angeles, Let Me Down Easy, and Notes from the Field. Her play This Ghost of Slavery, written for TheAtlantic Magazine, was only the second play the magazine has published in 168 years. Smith’s television and film acting credits include Inventing Anna, The West Wing, Nurse Jackie, Black-ish, Philadelphia, The American President, Rachel Getting Married, For the People, and The Boroughs. She is currently a University Professor at New York University, was an Eastman Professor at Oxford, and holds several honorary doctorates, including those from Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, Spelman College, Juilliard, and Oxford. 

    Hermitage Major Theater Award finalist Beth Steel’s most recent play, Till the Stars Come Down, had a sold out run at the National Theatre before transferring to the Theatre Royal Haymarket in London’s West End in 2025. The play was nominated for Best New Play at the 2024 Olivier Awards and has been nominated for Best Play for the 2025 Standard Theatre Awards. Her other plays include The House of Shades, which premiered at the Almeida Theatre and was a Susan Smith Blackburn finalist; the Evening Standard Award-winning Wonderland which was also a Susan Smith Blackburn finalist; and Ditch, a John Whiting Award finalist.

    On Thursday, March 19th at 6:30pm, the Hermitage will present “Dramatizing the Contemporary World,” featuring these two powerhouse playwrights. Though one is American and one is British, these award-winning artists are both known for their keen observation and shrewd insight. Together, they will provide a sneak peek into their creative process and share excerpts of their original work on the Hermitage Beach.  

    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 with no intermission. Due to capacity limitations, registration is required at HermitageArtistRetreat.org.

    New Programs Span from Lee County to Manatee County

    The Hermitage Artist Retreat today announced new programs in February and March of 2026, spanning Lee County up through Manatee County and including a return to the Hermitage Beach in Sarasota County. Newly announced events include award-winning poet, writer, and author jessica Care moore and Obie Award winner James Jackson, Jr. for a special Black History Month program on February 26th on the Hermitage Beach; returning Hermitage Fellow and multihyphenate actor-singer-writer Lauren Marcus and Tony Award-nominated playwright Joe Iconis for a memorable evening of music on March 16th at the Manatee Performing Arts Center in Bradenton; and Joe Iconis and Lauren Marcus will again split the bill for a beachside program at the Gasparilla Light House – Range Light in Boca Grande on March 20th.  

    On Thursday, February 26th at 5:30pm, the Hermitage will present a special Black History Month program featuring Hermitage Fellows jessica Care moore and James Jackson, Jr. Jessica Care moore has recorded her poetry with hip-hop legends like Common, Nas, Jeezy, Talib Kweli, and others. Moore launched into national attention in the 90s when she won the legendary “It’s Showtime at the Apollo” competition a record-breaking five times in a row – with a poem. She is the current Detroit Poet Laureate and the author of five collections of poetry. James Jackson, Jr. is a seasoned Broadway, Off-Broadway, and cabaret performer who has also graced the stages of Radio City Music Hall and Carnegie Hall. Celebrated for his roles in Hermitage Fellow Michael R. Jackson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning A Strange Loop and White Girl in Danger – developed in part at the Hermitage – Jackson also created the popular “Juneteenth Cabaret” in Provincetown to celebrate the history of Black performers in the city. These two incredible performers will share their talents on the Hermitage Beach with “Speak the Word and Lift Every Voice” – a program celebrating Black culture and identity on the Hermitage Beach. This event is being presented in partnership with Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe.  

    On Monday, March 16th at 6pm, audiences will have an opportunity to return to the Manatee Performing Arts Center in Bradenton for “Joe & Lauren Make Cool Music at MPAC.” The iconic Joe Iconis and the marvelous Lauren Marcus are partners in art and life. Iconis wrote the hit score for Tony Award-nominated Broadway musical Be More Chill, the show where Marcus made her Broadway debut. A celebrated writer and composer, Iconis is recognized as a leading voice in the world of contemporary musical theater, with works spanning Broadway, Off-Broadway, and theaters across the globe. He regularly performs concerts with Marcus and other frequent collaborators as “Joe Iconis & Family” at venues throughout New York. Marcus is a beloved Hermitage artist and performer in her own right – actor, writer, and singer-songwriter are all hats she comfortably and regularly shifts between. Together, they are a New York theater power-couple who will share original work during this memorable evening of music. This program is made possible with the support of the Bishop-Parker Foundation and is presented in partnership with the Manatee Performing Arts Center (MPAC).

    On Friday, March 20th at 6:30pm, the Hermitage will present “Joe & Lauren: Making Music in Boca Grande.” The New York theatre power-couple heads south for a beachside program at the Gasparilla Light House – Range Light on Boca Grande as the sun sets over the Gulf. This event is presented in partnership with the Barrier Island Parks Society (BIPS).

    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 with no intermission. Due to capacity limitations, registration is required at HermitageArtistRetreat.org.

    Hermitage Announces Fifth Annual Concert in the Ruby E. Crosby Alumni Music Series

    The Hermitage Artist Retreat (Sarasota County, Florida) is pleased to announce the fifth annual concert in the Ruby E. Crosby Alumni Music Series at the Hermitage, featuring Juilliard-trained flutist and Hermitage alumna Emi Ferguson. This event will take place on Thursday, March 5th at 7pm at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens (Downtown Sarasota). 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. The 2023 concert, “The Pop-Rock-Folk World of Zoe Sarnak,” featured award-winning New York City-based Hermitage alumna Zoe Sarnak, with Sarasota-based vocalists and musicians performing Sarnak’s original songs at Nathan Benderson Park. The 2024 concert, “Piano Classics Remade,” featured world-renowned pianist and Hermitage alumnus Conrad Taoperforming for a sold-out crowd at Selby Gardens. Last year’s concert, “Piano in the Key of Vijay,” featured Grammy Award-nominated composer and past Hermitage Greenfield Prize winner Vijay Iyer. 

    This year, the Ruby E. Crosby Alumni Music Series at the Hermitage continues this popular series with Julliard-trained flutist and Hermitage Fellow Emi Ferguson.  Ferguson is on a mission to shake up classical music. Whether playing modern or historical flutes, singing, composing, or speaking about music, she brings centuries of music to life with an adventurous spirit and a fresh perspective. Her performances, ranging from Baroque masterpieces to brand-new commissions are anything but predictable, blending historical performance with a fearless, modern edge. Hailed by critics for her “tonal bloom” and “hauntingly beautiful performances,” English-American flutist and composer Ferguson stretches the boundaries of what is expected of modern-day musicians. Her unique approach to the flute can be heard in performances that alternate between silver flute, auxiliary flutes, and historical flutes, playing repertoire that stretches from the Renaissance to today. Ferguson is a 2023 Avery Fisher Career Grant awardee and can be heard live in concerts and festivals around the world as a soloist and with groups including AMOC*, the New York New Music Ensemble, the Handel and Haydn Society, and the Manhattan Chamber Players. Emi was a featured performer alongside Yo-Yo Ma, Paul Simon, and James Taylor at the 10th Anniversary Memorial Ceremony of 9/11 at Ground Zero, where her performance of “Amazing Grace” was televised worldwide. Ferguson returns to the Hermitage after a previous “Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby Gardens” program in 2024, and a performance at the 2023 Artful Lobster.

    The Ruby E. Crosby Alumni Music Series at the Hermitage offers the opportunity for a distinguished Hermitage alum 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 talented artists and 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 deeply 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 Emi Ferguson back to the Gulf Coast to share her talents with our growing Hermitage audience,” added Hermitage Artistic Director and CEO Andy Sandberg. “Emi is one of the most captivating and enchanting flutists of our time. As we continue to reengage with and provide more opportunities for the Hermitage alumni community, this generous gift from Carole Crosby in her mother’s honor allows our audiences to celebrate and reconnect with groundbreaking musical talents who have come to know Sarasota through their time at the Hermitage.”

    “Flute Through the Ages” will be presented at Selby Gardens’ Event Center (Downtown Sarasota) on Thursday, March 5th at 7pm. This program is free and open to the public with a $5/person registration fee. Registration is required at HermitageArtistRetreat.org. Capacity will be limited, and registration is available on a first-come, first-served basis, at which time registration will shift to a waitlist. Previous events in this series have reached capacity, so early registration is strongly encouraged.