Hermitage Announces New May Programs Featuring Two Tony Award Nominees |

The Hermitage Artist Retreat announces two new programs in May, with additional May and June programming to be opened for registration in the coming weeks. The next edition of “Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby Gardens” will feature two Tony Award-nominated Hermitage Fellows, Broadway star Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer (Spamalot, Beetlejuice, “Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”) and playwright Bess Wohl (Liberation, Grand Horizons, Camp Siegfried).

From the bright lights of Broadway to the bold and innovative work of Off-Broadway, returning Hermitage Fellows Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer and Bess Wohl have left an indelible mark on the American theater scene. From Kritzer’s powerhouse vocals and comedic timing to Wohl’s gift for hilarious and incisive observation of the human experience, these Tony Award nominees are two of the most in-demand artists of stage and screen. Join Kritzer and Wohl for the latest “Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby Gardens” program on Friday, May 16^th at 6:30pm at Selby Gardens’ Historic Spanish Point, to take a look back, a look forward, and hear some of the music and words that have fueled both of their remarkable careers.

Returning Hermitage Fellow Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer is a recent Tony Award nominee for her showstopping turn as ‘Lady of the Lake’ in the Broadway revival of Spamalot. She previously starred on Broadway as Delia in Beetlejuice, for which she received Drama Desk, Drama League, and Chita Rivera Award nominations. Television audiences will be familiar with Kritzer’s portrayal of comedy legend Carol Burnett in the series finale of “Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” Her additional Broadway credits include Something Rotten, Legally Blonde, A Catered Affair (Drama Desk nom.), and more. She received dual Lucille Lortel Award nominations for her performances in Gigantic and The Robber Bridegroom, winning for the latter. Sarasota audiences have previously seen Kritzer perform alongside Andy Sandberg in the Hermitage 20^thAnniversary Concert at the Van Wezel, on the Hermitage Beach presenting her original work as a writer, at the 2023 Hermitage Greenfield Prize Dinner, and at the 2024 Hermitage Artful Lobster.

Hermitage Fellow Bess Wohl’s plays include the current hit Off-Broadway production of Liberation(Roundabout) and the recent Off-Broadway run of Camp Siegfried (Second Stage); both of these original plays were developed in part while Bess was in residence at the Hermitage Artist Retreat on Manasota Key. Wohl’s Broadway premiere of Grand Horizons earned her a Tony Award nomination for Best Play, in addition to the Outer Critics Circle Honor and a Drama League Award nomination. Her plays have been produced and developed at acclaimed theaters in New York and around the country, including Second Stage, Roundabout, Manhattan Theater Club, Goodman Theater, Geffen Playhouse, and more. Her impressive body of work includes the award-winning play Small Mouth Sounds (Off-Broadway); Barcelona, starring Lily Collins (West End); Make Believe; and more. Wohl is a graduate of Harvard and the Yale School of Drama.

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

Coming Up Next…

Apr

Sat

Hermitage Greenfield Prize Exhibition “Currents of Resistance” @ The Ringling Museum of Art

Tickets

Apr 5 @ 10:00 am – Aug 10 @ 5:00 pm

“Currents of Resistance”
by Hermitage Greenfield Prize Winner Sandy Rodriguez

Presented in partnership with The Ringling Museum of Art

Made possible with generous support from the Greenfield Foundation.

Community Foundation of Sarasota County, Lead Community Sponsor.

Friday, April 5 – Sunday, August 10th, 2025

The Ringling Museum of Art (entrance at 5401 Bay Shore Rd, Sarasota, FL 34243)

Click here for more information.
Please note this program is not part of the Hermitage’s traditional free programming. This exhibition is part of The Ringling’s admission fees ($30/person).

Sandy Rodriguez, a first-generation Chicana who grew up along the US-Mexico border, is an artist who engages with the colonial histories of the Americas, Indigenous knowledge systems, memory, and issues surrounding migration, both past and present, all grounded in the specificity of land. One of the unique aspects of her practice is her engagement with and research into the material aspects of indigenous artistic traditions for the Americas. She is using hand processed pigments derived from earth, plants, and insects, sourced from specimens collected during her fieldwork and residency at the Hermitage for her watercolors. This Hermitage Greenfield Prize commission is a further exploration of a series of exhibitions for which she has been celebrated, which maps the ongoing cycles of violence on communities of color by blending historical and recent events; this will be her first in this region.

Sandy Rodriguez (b. 1975, National City, CA) is the recipient of the 2023 Hermitage Greenfield Prize in Visual Art. She is a Los Angeles-based artist and researcher, and first-generation Chicana raised on the US-Mexico border. Her Codex Rodriguez-Mondragón is made up of a collection of maps and paintings about the intersections of history, social memory, contemporary politics, and cultural production. Rodriguez earned her BFA from California Institute of Arts. She has exhibited her works at the Denver Art Museum, The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Garden, The Amon Carter Museum of American Art and Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Museum of Contemporary Art, Busan, South Korea. Her work is in the permanent collections of Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA; Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AR; Amon Carter Museum, Fort Worth, TX, The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Garden. San Marino, CA and others. She was awarded the Caltech-Huntington Art+Research Residency, Creative Capital Award and Migrations initiative from Mellon Foundation Just Futures Initiative and Global Cornell. Rodriguez and her work have been featured in BBC News: In the Studio, Hyperallergic, LA Weekly, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Spectrum News/NY1, and on several radio programs and podcasts.

May

Mon

“Songs from the Sand: An Evening of Hermitage Music” @ Waterside Place Pavilion

Tickets

May 12 @ 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm

“Songs from the Sand: An Evening of Hermitage Music”
Featuring songs by Hermitage Artists performed by the Gulf Coasts Finest Talents

Presented in partnership with Lakewood Ranch

Monday, May 12 at 6:00pm

Waterside Pavilion, Lakewood Ranch (entrance at 1560 Lakefront Dr, Lakewood Ranch, 34240)

Register here.
Registration is required. $5 per person.

The Hermitage returns to Lakewood Ranch! From Tony Award winners like Jeanine Tesori, Michael R. Jackson, and Doug Wright, to generative artists and composers revolutionizing the form like Adam Gwon, Zoe Sarnak, Rona Siddiqui, and more, the Hermitage provides space and time to some of the most exciting musical theater writers working today. Hear selections from some of these acclaimed composers, librettists, and lyricists, performed by the Gulf Coasts’ finest talents as the Hermitage returns to Waterside Place! In addition to the works themselves, hear little-known stories about the creation of some of New York theater’s recent success stories and insights into the creative process.

May

Fri

“Broadway: Off and On” @ Selby Gardens Historic Spanish Point

Tickets

May 16 @ 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm

“Broadway: Off and On”
with Hermitage Fellows Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer and Bess Wohl

Presented in partnership with Marie Selby Botanical Gardens

Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer’s Hermitage Artist Residency generously sponsored by B.Aline Blanchard & Arthur Siciliano.

Bess Wohl’s Hermitage Artist Residency generously sponsored by Carole Crosby & Larry Wickless.

Friday, May 16 at 6:30pm

Selby Gardens Historic Spanish Point (entrance at 401 North Tamiami Trail Osprey, FL 34229

Register here.
Registration is required. $5 per person.

From the bright lights of Broadway to the bold and innovative work of Off-Broadway, returning Hermitage Fellows Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer and Bess Wohl have left an indelible mark on the American theater scene. From Kritzer’s powerhouse vocals and comedic timing to Wohl’s gift for hilarious and incisive observation of the human experience, these two Tony Award nominees are two of the most in-demand artists of stage and screen. Join Kritzer and Wohl for the latest “Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby Gardens” program to take a look back, a look forward, and hear some of the music and words that have fueled both of their remarkable careers.

Returning Hermitage Fellow Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer is a 2024 Tony Award Nominee for her showstopping turn as ‘Lady of the Lake’ in the Broadway revival of Spamalot. She previously starred on Broadway as Delia in Beetlejuice, for which she received Drama Desk, Drama League, and Chita Rivera Award nominations. Additional Broadway credits include Something Rotten!, Elf, Sondheim on Sondheim, Legally Blonde, A Catered Affair (Drama Desk nomination) and Hairspray. Off-Broadway: The Robber Bridegroom (Lucille Lortel Award and Drama League Award), Gigantic (Lortel nomination), ROOMS: A Rock Romance (Outer Critics Circle nomination), and others. She can be heard on several original casting recordings. TV: “Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (as 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 20^th Anniversary Concert (Van Wezel Hall), on the Hermitage Beach sharing her original writing, and at the 2023 Hermitage Greenfield Prize Dinner, and the 2024 Hermitage Artful Lobster. @LeslieKritzer

Returning Hermitage Fellow Bess Wohl’s plays include Liberation (Roundabout Theater Company; developed at the Hermitage), Camp Siegfried (Second Stage Theater; developed at the Hermitage), Grand Horizons (Tony Award Nomination for Best Play; Outer Critics Circle Honor, Drama League Award nom.), Make Believe (NY Times Critics’ Pick, Best of 2019, Outer Critics Circle Honor), Continuity, Small Mouth Sounds (John Gassner Outer Critics Circle Award, top ten lists in The New York Times, The New York Post, The Guardian, and others), American Hero, Barcelona, Touched, In, Cats Talk Back, and the musical Pretty Filthy, with composer/lyricist Michael Friedman and The Civilians (Lucille Lortel and Drama Desk nominations for Outstanding Musical). Her plays have been produced or developed at theaters in New York and around the country, including Second Stage, Roundabout Theater, Manhattan Theater Club, Ars Nova, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Goodman Theater, Geffen Playhouse, People’s Light, Pioneer Theatre, Pittsburgh Public Theater, Northlight Theater, TheaterWorks New Works Festival, PlayPenn, and the NY International Fringe Festival (Award for Best Overall Production). She is a graduate of Harvard and the Yale School of Drama.

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