The Hermitage Artist Retreat announces its return to Hermitage Beach on Manasota Key on Thursday, June 26th. This will be the first public program presented on the Hermitage Beach since the devastating impact of Hurricanes Helene and Milton. The Hermitage campus, along with many neighbors and friends on Manasota Key and throughout the region, experienced an unprecedented storm surge from Hurricane Helene in September, followed by even greater damages caused by Hurricane Milton less than two weeks later. This newly announced program – “Key Change: A Return to the Beach!” – marks a significant milestone for the Hermitage’s recovery efforts and a return to beach programming on Manasota Key.
Returning Hermitage Fellows and award-winning musical theater writers, the Lazour Brothers and Mark Sonnenblick, will join forces for this special program, sharing their original songs as they help to welcome audiences back to the Hermitage Beach for the first time in many months. Sonnenblick and the Lazour Brothers were represented earlier in the Hermitage’s 2024-2025 season with two of the most memorable Hermitage programs in recent memory. Fresh from his West End collaboration with Elton John on The Devil Wears Prada, Sonnenblick beguiled Hermitage audiences at Selby Gardens in January with an in-depth look at the elusive process by which songs are written and incorporated into a narrative musical. Back in August of 2024, in one of the last Hermitage Beach programs before the hurricanes hit our shores, the Lazour Brothers offered a stripped-down acoustic set of songs from their acclaimed musical We Live in Cairo, just a few short weeks before it opened Off-Broadway. Sonnenblick’s The Devil Wears Prada continues to be a success in London and stars Vanessa Williams. Daniel and Patrick Lazour recently received a number of nominations in this year’s New York theater award season for We Live in Cairo. Join these celebrated composers, lyricists, and librettists for a triumphant return to the Hermitage’s celebrated beach programing Thursday, June 26th at 6:30pm.
Since the fall hurricane season, the Hermitage has continued its expansive programming throughout Sarasota and the greater Gulf Coast region. The Hermitage team worked swiftly in the aftermath of the storms to remediate the historic buildings and grounds, and to remove nearly eight feet of sand that covered much of the campus following the unprecedented storm surge. Due to ongoing repairs to the neighboring Blind Pass Park and various permit and procurement procedures mandated by Sarasota County, the Hermitage was not permitted to continue its repairs on the buildings. The Hermitage welcomed artists back to the historic Hermitage House in late January, while other buildings remain offline. This public program on June 26th will be the first opportunity since the hurricanes for the public to experience one of the Hermitage’s iconic free beach programs.
“We are incredibly excited to welcome audiences back to the Hermitage Beach for what promises to be an unforgettable evening with the incredible talents of Mark Sonnenblick and the Lazour Brothers,” said Hermitage Artistic Director and CEO Andy Sandberg. “Immediately prior to Helene and Milton, we had just completed a campus-wide restoration that had the Hermitage buildings and grounds in the best condition they had ever been, and we are passionately committed to achieving that same goal in the coming weeks and months. If we had not encountered unexpected impediments to our reopening, our driven team would have had the Hermitage campus fully re-opened months ago – particularly with the outpouring of enthusiasm, love, and support from our passionate audiences and generous donors. Nevertheless, we remain resolute in our goals and our commitment to serving this great community with one-of-a-kind arts programming!”
Hermitage Fellows Daniel Lazour & Patrick Lazour, brothers and musical theater writers, were finalists for the 2024 Hermitage Greenfield Prize. Their musical We Live in Cairo premiered at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge and recently had an acclaimed Off-Broadway run at New York Theatre Workshop, earning a 2025 Lucille Lortel Award nomination for Outstanding Musical and Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Music, among other accolades. Projects in development include a musical adaptation of Ritesh Batra’s film The Lunchbox at Lincoln Center Theater and their sing-along theater experiment about patients and caregivers, Night Side Songs, as a co-production at A.R.T. and Philadelphia Theater Company. Their movie musical Challenger: An American Dream is being developed with Bruce Cohen Productions. Original songs by the Lazours can be heard on their independently released albums Freres, Flap My Wings (Songs from We Live in Cairo), Beth’s Homemade Cowboy Breakfast, and Lullabies. Upon hearing about the hurricane damage at the Hermitage, the Lazours commented, “We were at the Hermitage just before rehearsals began for We Live in Cairo, and it was paradisaic being there on Manasota Key. Our residency at the Hermitage was a critical time and space with so much productivity, so to see that calm upended by the storms was devastating.”
Hermitage Fellow Mark Sonnenblick is an Emmy Award and Drama Desk Award-nominated songwriter for theater, film, and television. His projects include the current West End production of The Devil Wears Prada, starring Vanessa Williams, written in collaboration with Elton John, Shaina Taub, and Kate Wetherhead. His production of Theater Camp with Ben Platt and Molly Gordon earned a Sundance Special Jury Award, and Spirited, staring Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell, appeared on the Oscars shortlist. Lyle Lyle Crocodile, with Shawn Mendes and Constance Wu, is a family favorite. On the stage front, Sonnenblick’s musical Midnight at the Never Get was nominated for Drama Desk, Lucille Lortel, and Outer Critics Circle Awards and was a New York Times Critic’s Pick. Sonnenblick’s production of The Independents was awarded Best Production by Fringe NYC and was also a New York Times Critic’s Pick. Sonnenblick collaborates with writers across multiple genres, including Elton John, Pasek and Paul, and The Black Label. Beyond his Hermitage Fellowship, he’s won a Jonathan Larson Award, the Harold Adamson Award, a MAC Award for “Show of the Year,” and his music has been nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award. “The Hermitage is where you go and have the rare opportunity to work on – and then share – the art and performance that comes from your heart,” said Sonnenblick during his last Hermitage program.
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.