Hermitage Announces February Event With Broadway Producer Tom Kirdahy

The Hermitage Artist Retreat brings the next installment of its "Artists & Thinkers" series to Longboat Key with "Theater Today: Process & Production," a conversation with Tony Award-winning Broadway producer Tom Kirdahy (Hadestown; The Inheritance; Little Shop of Horrors). This event will be held outdoors on Friday, February 25th at 5:30pm, at the Town Center of Longboat Key, 501 Bay Isles Road, Longboat Key, FL 34228.

A champion of new work and a resident of Longboat Key, Kirdahy will speak with fellow Tony Award winner and Hermitage Artistic Director and CEO Andy Sandberg about the inextricable link between theatrical development and production, and the multi-year creative journey from an idea to production. Following a successful event in 2021 hosted on the Hermitage Beach - part of the Hermitage "Artists & Thinkers" series - Kirdahy and Sandberg will continue their candid conversation in the town of Longboat Key.

Kirdahy is a Tony and Olivier Award-winning producer whose projects have spanned Broadway, Off-Broadway, and the West End, as well as national and international tours. Select New York/London credits: Hadestown (8 Tony Awards, including Best New Musical), The Inheritance (Tony Award for Best Play; 11 Tony nominations), Little Shop of Horrors (Drama Desk Award, Best Musical Revival), Terrence McNally's Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune (2 Tony nominations, including Best Revival). Additional Tony nominations: The Visit, Mothers and Sons, After Midnight, Ragtime, and Master Class. He is the recipient of the Robert Whitehead Award for Outstanding Achievement in Commercial Theater Producing. Kirdahy serves on the Broadway League Board of Governors and the Board of Trustees of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. As an attorney, he spent nearly two decades providing free legal services to people living with HIV/AIDS and served for many years on the Executive Committee of the NYC LGBT Center. Graduate Studies: New York University School of Law, NYU CAS.

"I am truly looking forward to continuing this dialogue with my friend and colleague Tom Kirdahy," said Sandberg. "Tom is a thoughtful and accomplished producer who has shepherded some truly extraordinary plays and musicals to the stage, even amidst the most challenging of circumstances. Moreover, Tom is a true champion of artists and the creative process. He understands and appreciates the importance of early development and collaboration in guiding new work from the page to the stage, and we're honored to have him in the Hermitage family!"

All of the Hermitage's scheduled programming in early 2022 will continue outdoors unless otherwise indicated, all with socially distanced seating. Hermitage programs are free and open to the public with a $5/person registration fee. Due to capacity limitations and social distancing, registration is required at HermitageArtistRetreat.org.

The Hermitage hosts artists on its Gulf Coast Manasota Key campus for multi-week residencies, where diverse artists from around the world and across multiple disciplines create and develop new works of theater, music, visual art, literature, and more. As part of their residencies, Hermitage Fellows participate in free 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, lectures, readings, interactive experiences, open studios, school programs, teacher workshops, and more, serving thousands in our regional community each year.

The newly announced program:

• Hermitage on Longboat Key: "Theater Today: Process & Production," Friday, February 25 @ 5:30pm: Broadway producer Tom Kirdahy, a Tony Award-winning champion of new work and resident of Longboat Key, speaks with fellow Tony Award winner and Hermitage Artistic Director Andy Sandberg about the inextricable link between theatrical development and production, and the multi-year creative journey from an idea to production. Following a successful event in 2021 hosted on the Hermitage Beach - part of the Hermitage "Artists & Thinkers" series - Kirdahy and Sandberg continue their candid conversation in the town of Longboat Key in February of 2022. Registration is required at HermitageArtistRetreat.org ($5/person registration fee). Outdoors at the Town Center of Longboat Key (501 Bay Isles Road, Longboat Key, FL 34228)

For more information, visit HermitagArtistRetreat.org.

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