Hermitage Artist Retreat Adds A Grammy Nominee, A UK Playwright, And More To Fall Line-Up

The Hermitage Artist Retreat has announced three additional programs as part of its robust fall season. Newly announced events include a beach program featuring Grammy Award nominee Allison Loggins-Hull and award-winning author Jamila Minnicks on Friday, October 4 on the Hermitage Beach; a special look inside the creative process with Hermitage Artistic Director and CEO Andy Sandberg with the Royal Palm Players in Boca Grande on November 11; plus Hermitage-Roundabout Fellow Alex Lin and Hermitage Major Theater Award finalist and UK playwright Sam Steiner at New College of Florida's Theater Department on November 21.

On Friday, October 4 at 5:30pm, Grammy Award-nominated flutist and returning Hermitage alumna Allison Loggins-Hull will split the bill with celebrated author Jamila Minnicks in “Redefining the Instrument” on the Hermitage Beach. Whether the flute or the pen, these two Hermitage Fellows have forged innovative paths in their fields by defying expectation and creating with unique voices. Allison Loggins-Hull is noted for her original compositions and nuanced flute performances, having worked with such luminaries as Hans Zimmer, Lizzo, and her award-winning flute collaboration with Hermitage Fellow Nathalie Joachim – Flutronix. New Hermitage Fellow Jamila Minnicks is writing highly-praised original works of fiction. Her debut novel Moonrise over New Jessup won the 2021 PEN / Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction and was a finalist for the Center for Fiction's First Novel Prize. Please Note: Previously announced program participant Imani Uzuri had to reschedule and will not be able to join for this event.

On Monday, November 11 at 5pm, Hermitage Artistic Director and CEO Andy Sandberg will offer insight into his career as a playwright and director with “Craving for Travel: Andy Sandberg @ RPP.” An arts leader, director, performer, and writer, Sandberg has worked across all aspects of the arts and entertainment industry. In this newly announced program, Sandberg brings all his expertise to bear in a conversation focused on the upcoming production of his play Craving for Travel, which is having its Florida premiere produced by the Royal Palm Players. Audiences will hear the inside take on the play's origins, stories about the original New York production, and how wearing so many different ‘hats' has informed Sandberg's current artistic practice. This special event will be presented at the Boca Grande Community Center.

Rounding out November programing, the Hermitage presents “The Structure of Things: Making Theater on Both Sides of the Atlantic,” featuring 2024 Hermitage Major Theater Award finalist Sam Steiner and Hermitage-Roundabout Fellow Alex Lin. This newly announced event will be at New College of Florida on Thursday, November 21 at 1pm, presented in partnership with the College's Theater Department. From songs to space journalism, Alex Lin is one of the most vibrant voices coming up in the American theater today. The same can be said in the United Kingdom for playwright Steiner, whose acclaimed works like Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons have been performed all over the world, including London's West End. Meeting for the first time at the Hermitage, these two incredible artists explore the craft of playwriting, their unique journeys to date, and what's next on their agendas. Audience members are invited to join this cross-continental workshop and masterclass on the art of telling stories.

Additional highlights of the Hermitage fall season include live events featuring Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning Broadway composer Tom Kitt (Next to Normal), Emmy Award-nominated writer Daniel Goldfarb (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”), Pulitzer Prize finalist and Hermitage Major Theater Award winner Madeleine George (“Only Murders in the Building”), the inaugural McNally Fellow at the Hermitage Zeniba Now, Guggenheim Fellow Kirstin Valdez Quade, Tony-winning Broadway activist and performer Britton Smith, and internationally renowned flutist and composer Claire Chase. These events are presented in partnership with many arts, cultural, and educational institutions throughout the Gulf Coast region, including Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, Asolo Repertory Theatre, Sarasota Opera, Royal Palm Players, Venice Theatre, New College of Florida's Theater Department, Johann Fust Library Foundation in Boca Grande, and more.