Category: Residents

Hermitage and Terrence McNally Foundation Continue Partnership 

Andy Sandberg, Artistic Director and CEO of the Hermitage Artist Retreat, today announced that Talene Monahon will be the 2026 designee of the McNally Fellowship at the Hermitage, made possible with generous support from the Terrence McNally Foundation. This residency sponsorship is intended to support the Fellowship of an early-career playwright who is making a meaningful impact in the theater. In collaboration with the McNally Foundation, the Hermitage has selected Pulitzer Prize finalist and Hermitage Major Theater Award finalist Talene Monahon as the 2026 McNally Fellow.

Monahonis a Boston-born playwright of Armenian and Irish descent. She is a Pulitzer Prize finalist for her play Meet the Cartozians, which premiered Off-Broadway at Second Stage Theater in fall of 2025. Meet the Cartozians was also a New York Times Critic’s Pick and was recognized on Vulture’s “Top 10 Best Plays of 2025” and TheaterMania’s “Top 5 Plays of 2025.” Monahon’s other plays include The Good John Proctor, Jane Anger, and How to Load a Musket.

“The Hermitage is deeply grateful to the Terrence McNally Foundation for their continuing support and passionate belief in the work we are doing,” said Hermitage Artistic Director and CEO Andy Sandberg. “It has been a joy to collaborate with our friend Tom Kirdahy as a fellow advocate for new voices, and he’s been such a champion of the Hermitage and its mission. We are honored to celebrate Terrence’s incomparable legacy by providing the gift of space and time to the next generation of prolific voices in the theater, and we are excited to welcome Talene Monahon as the 2026 recipient of this honor.”

Tom Kirdahy, a Tony and Olivier Award-winning theater and film producer and the late Terrence McNally’s husband, is the president of Tom Kirdahy Productions and a principal trustee of the McNally Foundation. Kirdahy’s work spans Broadway, Off-Broadway, the West End, and beyond. Among his current and recent producing credits are the Tony Award-winning revival of Ragtime at Lincoln Center Theater; the Broadway smash-hit musical Just in Time; Stephen Sondheim’s posthumous Off-Broadway musical Here We Are, which starred Tony Award winner and Hermitage Fellow Rachel Bay Jones; Terrence McNally’sKiss of the Spider Woman film starring Jennifer Lopez; the hit Off-Broadway revival of Little Shop of Horrors; and Hadestown, the winner of eight Tony Awards on Broadway including Best Musical, along with the recent film release and the Olivier Award-nominated West End production. 

“We are incredibly proud to support the work the Hermitage is doing,” added Kirdahy. “The Hermitage is a world-class arts incubator – not only for playwrights and theater artists, but for so many extraordinary talents of all different backgrounds and disciplines. The gift they are giving to these innovative and imaginative writers, performers, and artists is invaluable. We are excited for Talene to continue her creative journey with this Hermitage residency in Terrence’s name.” 

The Terrence McNally Foundation is 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 McNally and 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.”

A leading national arts incubator, the Hermitage is the only major arts organization in Florida’s Gulf Coast exclusively committed to supporting the development and creation of new work across all artistic disciplines. The Hermitage hosts artists on its Gulf Coast Manasota Key home for multi-week residencies, where diverse and accomplished artists from around the world and across multiple disciplines create and develop new works of theater, music, visual art, literature, dance, film, and more. As part of their residencies, Hermitage Fellows participate in free year-round community programs, offering audiences in the region a unique opportunity to engage with some of the world’s leading artists and to get an authentic “sneak peek” into extraordinary projects and artistic minds before their works go on to major galleries, concert halls, theaters, and museums around the world. These free and innovative programs include performances, conversations, readings, music concerts, interactive experiences, open studios, school programs, teacher workshops, and more, serving thousands in our regional community each year.

New October Program Announced

The Hermitage Artist Retreat today announced a new October program on the Hermitage Beach featuringacclaimed poet and Pulitzer Prize finalist Robyn Schiff, alongside celebrated drummer and music producer Sarah Galdes. On Thursday, October 29th at 5:30pm, these two talented Hermitage artists will offer a program of poetry and percussion on the Hermitage Beach with “We Got the Beat: Poetry & Percussion.” Join us for the first beach program of the fall season as these renowned artists share their original work and discuss their respective journeys as the sun sets into the Gulf. 

Hermitage Fellow Robyn Schiff is the author of four collections of poetry, including Information Desk: An Epic, based on Schiff’s experience as a staff member at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s information desk. Described as “an effluvial rush of memory, desire, data, and metaphor” by The New York Review of Books, Information Desk: An Epic was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry. Schiff co-edits the independent poetry press Canarium Books, and she is a professor at the University of Chicago, where she is Director of the Program in Creative Writing. 

Hermitage Fellow Sarah Galdes is a drummer, electronic artist, and music producer. Galdes has toured, performed, and recorded with a wide variety of bands and artists in the international music scene including Julien Baker (boygenius), Lauren Mayberry (CHVRCHES), Anna Wise, Bartees Strange, and many more. In addition to the drums, Galdes has studied traditional Korean percussion instruments and North Indian music, embarking on intensive study tours in South Korea, New York, Australia, and Canada. 

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 Sunsets @ Selby Gardens 2026-27 Dates

The Hermitage Artist Retreat’s popular series, “Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby Gardens,” continues into its seventh year as part of the Hermitage’s upcoming 2026-2027 season. The outdoor series — a celebrated collaboration between the Hermitage Artist Retreat and Marie Selby Botanical Gardens — features performances and explorations of works-in-progress by Hermitage artists-in-residence and alumni. “Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby Gardens” events are currently scheduled to take place at Selby Gardens’ Downtown Sarasota campus and the Historic Spanish Point campus in Osprey. 

Newly announced dates for this seventh season of “Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby Gardens” include:

  • Friday, October 16, 2026, Downtown Sarasota campus
  • Friday, November 20, 2026, Historic Spanish Point campus
  • Thursday February 11, 2027, Historic Spanish Point campus
  • Thursday February 25, 2027, Downtown Sarasota campus
  • Thursday, March 18, 2027, Downtown Sarasota campus
  • Thursday, May 6, 2027, Downtown Sarasota campus

The first of these events, “New Music Under the Old Oak,” features Hermitage Fellows Madeline Benson & Chris Peters who collaborated as arrangers, orchestrators, and performers for late Hermitage Fellow Gavin Creel’s original musical Walk on Through, which was developed in part at the Hermitage. They have since partnered on other ventures, including Benson’s debut album, Leave it All to Me, produced by Peters, and a concert at Lincoln Center featuring their individual and collaborative work. Matīss Čudars, winner of the Hermitage Prize in Composition at the Aspen Music Festival & School, is a Latvian composer and guitar player who draws upon a diverse musical upbringing encompassing math-rock, jazz, classical music, and avant-garde improv. Last seen at the 2025 Hermitage Artful Lobster, he composes for orchestras, chamber ensembles, and solo performance. These talented Hermitage musicians will share their original work and their creative process as the sun sets into the Bay at Selby Gardens’ downtown Sarasota campus on Friday, October 16 at 5:30pm.

Start times for the additional program dates will vary with sunset and will be announced when each event opens for registration. Admission for these events has no ticket cost, though availability is subject to capacity limitations at each venue; advance registration is required ($5/person) at HermitageArtistRetreat.org.   

Each program will feature a celebrated Hermitage artist (or artists) to be announced. Last year’s “Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby Gardens” spotlighted the works and talents of acclaimed violist and founder of the quartet ETHEL Ralph Farris, Broadway performer and writer Lauren Marcus, Hermitage Roundabout Fellow and playwright Migdalia Cruz, Tony Award winner Britton Smith, acclaimed jazz musician Adam O’Farrill, Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning playwright Doug Wright, Obie Award winner Morgan Bassichis, celebrated Broadway and television actor and playwright Adam Chanler-Berat, award-winning singer-songwriter and composer Julian Hornik, and Juilliard-trained flutist Emi Ferguson. 

“This seventh season of ‘Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby Gardens’ promises to be another memorable one,” says Hermitage Artistic Director and CEO Andy Sandberg. “The forthcoming lineup will once again introduce audiences to some of the most dynamic artists and performers of our generation – six magical evenings set against the backdrop of these beautiful bayfront sanctuaries. This popular series has been a joyous collaboration with our friends at Selby Gardens, and we look forward welcoming new and returning audiences to experience a ‘sneak peek’ into the creative process of our leading artists, writers, and performers. 

“We are so excited to celebrate seven years of this wonderful collaboration with the Hermitage Artist Retreat,” says Selby Gardens President & CEO Jennifer Rominiecki. “Welcoming world-class Hermitage artists to our expanded bayfront sanctuary at our Downtown Sarasota and vibrant Historic Spanish Point campuses is something we look forward to each year. Treating Gulf Coast patrons to these special programs has been such a joy, and we are thrilled that the ‘Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby Gardens’ series continues to flourish.” 

These outdoor events are one part of many ongoing programs and collaborations planned throughout the season, spanning Sarasota County, Charlotte County, Manatee County, Lee 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 Receives Over $450,000 in National and Regional Grants 

The Hermitage Artist Retreat (Sarasota County, Florida) announced today that the nonprofit organization has been awarded a series of grants totaling over $450,000 that will support a variety of programs and initiatives, including residencies for Hermitage Fellows, arts education support, and program accessibility. Grants were awarded by the Aaron Copland Fund for Music, Community Foundation of Sarasota County, The Exchange, Florida Department of State’s Division of Arts and Culture, Frank E. Duckwall Foundation, Gulf Coast Community Foundation, Koski Family Foundation, Manatee Community Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, and the Sarasota County Tourist Development Cultural/Arts Program. 

The Hermitage is a multidisciplinary arts organization dedicated to championing bold and impactful new work, supporting the creative process, elevating the artist experience, and enriching the lives of audiences and arts appreciators around the world. A leading national incubator for diverse and original works across all artistic mediums, the Hermitage aims to inspire creative minds to achieve their greatest potential. In addition, the Hermitage is the only major arts organization in Florida exclusively committed to the development and creation of new work across all artistic disciplines.

The Florida Department of State, Division of Arts and Culture is supporting the mission of the Hermitage with a $150,000 grant award. These funds will go toward supporting artist residencies, free community programs, arts education programs, and additional programming surrounding Hermitage commissions like the Hermitage Greenfield Prize and the Hermitage Major Theater Award. 

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has renewed its support for the Hermitage with a $60,000 grant award. These funds are intended to support the Hermitage’s nationally renowned artist residency program.

The Welles Murphey Fund at Gulf Coast Community Foundation (GCCF) renewed its support for the Hermitage with a $50,000 Empowering Arts Grant in support of the organization’s mission: to inspire and foster the most influential and culturally consequential art and artists of our time. The Hermitage became one of Gulf Coast’s “Arts Appreciation” grantees in 2021, and that program was subsequently rebranded as “Empowering Arts,” supporting leading arts and cultural institutions in the region. GCCF has additionally supported the Hermitage through other special programs and hurricane relief efforts in recent years.

The Hermitage was awarded a $50,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Sarasota County (CFSC) to once again serve as the Lead Community Sponsor for the Hermitage Greenfield Prize Weekend. This will be the tenth year of CFSC’s support of this annual celebration, which the Hermitage presents each year in partnership with the Greenfield Foundation. This coming year’s events are scheduled for April 16-18, 2027, with additional details to be announced. The popular Hermitage Greenfield Prize Dinner will be held on Sunday, April 18th starting at 6pm at Michael’s On East. 

For the upcoming season, Sarasota County approved the Tourist Development Cultural/Arts Program(TDC/A) funding, resulting in a grant award just over $60,000 for the Hermitage to facilitate artist residencies and programming that supports tourism in Sarasota County. Hermitage Fellows, alumni, and curators are some of the leading artists and thinkers in their respective fields from all over the world. These world-renowned creators share their artistic talents and insight into their creative process through free community programs held on the Hermitage campus, as well as at partner arts, cultural, and educational institutions throughout the region. These impactful and educational programs offer a wide variety of free events to tourists and residents alike, all throughout Sarasota County.

The Koski Family Foundation renewed their support of the Hermitage with a $50,000 grant to support the Hermitage’s commitment to arts education, in addition to their continuing support of the Hermitage’s Sarasota Cross Arts Collaborative initiative. This generous grant allows the Hermitage to foster the development and growth of teaching artists while providing local schools the benefit of these extraordinary artists’ insight and instruction. The Cross Arts Collaborative was designed to give performing and generative artists who call local arts institutions their creative home a chance to expand their artistic practice from ‘performer’ to ‘creator.’ Recipients receive two weeks of uninterrupted time at the Hermitage Artist Retreat to develop a new project and present a free public program for the greater Sarasota community. The Cross Arts Collaborative recipients from 2026 will share a public program of their work-in-process as part of the Hermitage’s 2026-2027 season. 

Additional community program support comes from The Exchange, which awarded a grant to support the Hermitage’s north Sarasota County programming initiatives, introducing patrons in Sarasota to some of the world’s leading artists, while the Frank E. Duckwall Foundation’s grant supports the Hermitage with a focus on the enhancement and refurbishment of the Hermitage Englewood Art Center. A grant from the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation will support the world-renowned Hermitage Residency program. The Manatee Community Foundationis providing support in recognition of the Hermitage’s programming and impact in Manatee County, while a grant from the Aaron Copland Fund for Music will provide support for the organization’s ongoing commitment to music residencies and initiatives.

The Hermitage is nationally and globally recognized for its acclaimed artist residency program and its rapidly expanding community programming, introducing Gulf Coast audiences to some of the world’s leading artists across all disciplines. “As our programs and collaborations continue to evolve and expand, we are excited to see the impact on audiences throughout our region and beyond,” says Hermitage Artistic Director and CEO Andy Sandberg. “We are deeply appreciative for these generous grants from both new and longtime supporters, all of which will provide invaluable support and resources to the diverse and accomplished Hermitage artists who are making a meaningful impact in our community and with audiences around the world.” 

Sixteenth Season of Hermitage STARs Announced 

The Hermitage Artist Retreat (Sarasota County, Florida) announced today the distinguished Florida public school arts teachers who will spend part of their summer on Manasota Key while working on their own artistic endeavors. They are the recipients of the 2026 State Teachers Artist Residency program (STARs) – now in its sixteenth year – presented by the Hermitage Artist Retreat in partnership with the Florida Alliance for Arts Education (FAAE). This year’s recipients were selected from dozens of impressive applicants, and the teachers selected from across the State of Florida include two visual artists, an author, and a poet.  These artists and educators receive a residency at the nationally renowned Hermitage Artist Retreat, where they can focus on their own work as creative artists. These teaching artists will present a family-friendly showcase of their work on Friday, July 10th starting at 10:30am. This special event will be held at SKY Academy (operated by the YMCA of Southwest Florida), by invitation only for the students in the community. 

“These exceptional educators are also talented artists and creative minds in their own right,” says Andy Sandberg, Artistic Director and CEO of the Hermitage. “During the academic year, their attention is devoted to their students. The STARs program offers these distinguished teachers the opportunity to experience what leading artists from around the world have come to the Hermitage for – to focus on their craft and their creative process. Over the years, the STARs from counties across Florida have created some stunning works of art, music, theater, dance, and literature during their time at the Hermitage. Many Hermitage teaching artist alumni have shared that this program enables them to return to their students with a new fire and passion for arts education.” 

The recipients of this year’s honor, selected among dozens of impressive applicants, include:Génesis Allione (Palm Beach County), a Florida-based visual and teaching artist whose work is rooted in community engagement, public art, and creative exploration; Caridad Moro (Miami-Dade County), a Florida poet, educator, and Poet Laureate Emerita of Miami-Dade County; Clifford Parody (Polk County), head of the Creative Writing Department at Harrison School for the Arts and an adjunct professor at Florida Southern College; and William Talenti (Hillsborough County), an award-winning American visual artist and educator whose work explores the simultaneity of identity and the indeterminacy of emotion. Full bios are included below.

Since the start of the Hermitage STARs program in 2011, 74 teachers have represented over 30Florida counties. These prestigious residencies culminate with a free student program, this year hosted in partnership with the Englewood YMCA. 

The STARs program is one of the only Hermitage residency programs open to application; arts educators from schools throughout the State of Florida are eligible, including music, theater, visual art, dance, and creative writing teachers. For more information about the Hermitage STARs program and how to apply, Florida arts educators are encouraged to visit FAAE.org/Star.

Hermitage 2026 STARs Teaching Artist Bios

Génesis Allione

Génesis Allione (Palm Beach County) is a Florida-based visual artist and teaching artist whose work is rooted in community engagement, public art, and creative exploration. A lifelong participant in the arts, she discovered her passion for chalk art through the Lake Worth Street Painting Festival, where an early artistic experience sparked a lasting commitment to her creative practice. Known for her vibrant use of color and distinctive “Coil Effect” techniques, Allione works across a variety of mediums and surfaces, continually experimenting with new ways to tell visual stories. Her artwork reflects a passion for movement, connection, and the transformative power of creativity. As an incoming Visual Art and Digital Media educator at Bak Middle School of the Arts in West Palm Beach, Florida, Allione mentors emerging artists while fostering creativity, innovation, and artistic confidence. Beyond the classroom, she participates in street painting festivals, public art events, and community arts initiatives throughout Florida, sharing her passion for the arts with audiences of all ages. Through her dual roles as artist and educator, she seeks to inspire curiosity, creative risk-taking, and lifelong engagement with the arts.

Caridad Moro

Caridad Moro (Miami-Dade County) is a Florida poet, educator, and Poet Laureate Emerita of Miami-Dade County (2024-2026). In 2025, she received an Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellowship and served as a poetry judge for the National Book Award, highlighting her national influence in contemporary poetry. She is the author of four poetry collections, including Visionware (Finishing Line Press 2009), Tortillera (Texas Review Press 2021), Through the Lens (TRP 2026) and the forthcoming As to Your Comment (TRP 2027). Her work has earned multiple grants and awards, including four Miami-Dade Individual Artist Grants, the 2023 Julia Peterkin Literary Award, and recognition from the Eric Hoffer and First Horizon Book Awards. Her community-centered poetry practice emphasizes collaboration, accessibility, and civic engagement. Previous community partners include O, Miami, Florida International University, The Miami Book Fair, The Knight Foundation, and others. Notable projects include “Generation 305: An Intergenerational Poetry Project,” “The Poetry of Place” at The Deering Estate, and a collaborative sonnet crown honoring Miami-Dade residents. She serves as Senior Editor for SWWIM Every Day and Poetry Curator-at-Large at the Betsy Hotel. Recent work has been featured on NPR, Poets.org, American Poets, Pleiades, and others.

Clifford Parody

Clifford Parody (Polk County) holds an MFA from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and currently lives in Lakeland, Florida. He heads up the Creative Writing Department at Harrison School for the Arts, works as an adjunct professor at Florida Southern College, where he teaches a course on comic books, and teaches middle school poetry, playwriting, short stories, and worldbuilding courses for the Ashley Gibson Barnett Museum spring and summer camp programs. Parody received the Noel Callow Award from the American Academy of Poets and was also nominated for Great Britain’s Forward Prize. His work has appeared internationally in Forklift, Ohio, Neon Magazine UK, Backlash Journal UK, Terminus Magazine, and The Greensboro Review, among other publications. Before becoming a teacher, he worked as a journalist for The Ledger, and was named in the Newspaper Association of America’s “30 Under 30” list for his in-depth reporting on untested sexual assault kits in Florida, which led, in part, to changes in legislation. For this and other reporting, he was also a finalist for the Society of Professional Journalism Sunshine State Awards. He is currently working on completing a poetry manuscript and a creative non-fiction graphic novel script.

William Talenti

William Talenti (Hillsborough County) is an award-winning American visual artist and educator whose work explores the simultaneity of identity and the indeterminacy of emotion. Refined over decades, his aesthetic interlaces digital patterns with traditional figurative studies, utilizing saturated color and meticulous collage. Talenti’s practice is defined by a meditative use of fragmented space; he deconstructs the human form within abstracted landscapes using organic grids and a sophisticated creation/destruction principle. His creative perspective is shaped by global immersion, with formal studies at Temple Rome, the Tyler School of Art, and as a Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund recipient. This international lens allows him to weave diverse cultural motifs into a portfolio exhibited from Lisbon to Hiroshima. Career Highlights & Recognition: Education: Formal studies in Rome, Tokyo, Pittsburgh, and Miami. Awards: Hillsborough County District Art Teacher of the Year and National Citizenship Education honors. Support: Recipient of grants from the Hillsborough County Arts Council and Disney’s “Future Storytellers.” Exhibitions: Work held in global collections and represented by galleries throughout Florida and Pennsylvania, including the Consulate General of Japan. A dedicated collaborator and educator, Talenti continues to produce visceral, large-scale compositions that challenge the viewer’s perception of the human experience.

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.