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.