Hermitage Artist Retreat

(Bio as of October 2026)

The Hermitage Artist Retreat is a leading international arts incubator inviting artists in every discipline to work at its historic site on Florida’s Gulf Coast. The mission of the Hermitage is to inspire and foster the most influential and culturally consequential art and artists of our time. Each year, the Hermitage commissions the Hermitage Major Theater Award to inspire the creation of a new and original work of theater that reflects the role and impact of the arts in our lives.

The HMTA was established in 2021 to recognize a playwright or theater artist with a $35,000 commission to create a new, original, and impactful piece of theater. HMTA winners and finalists are nominated and selected by a jury of visionary and forward-thinking artistic leaders. The 2024-2025 HMTA Award Committee included Susan V. Booth, Artistic Director of Chicago’s Goodman Theatre; Glenn Davis, an accomplished actor, producer, and Artistic Director of Steppenwolf Theatre Company; and Chay Yew, an Obie Award-winning director and playwright who served as longtime Artistic Director of Victory Gardens Theater. In addition to the $35,000 commission, the recipient of the annual HMTA receives a residency at the Hermitage’s historic beachfront campus in Sarasota County, Florida, to develop the new theatrical work, as well as a developmental reading or workshop in a leading arts and cultural center. In addition to the selected recipient, three finalists are also awarded a cash prize and a Hermitage residency to support their proposed work. Winners of the HMTA since its inception include Madeleine George, Shariffa Ali, Imani Uzuri, Chris Bush, Naomi Iizuka, and Anne Washburn.The Hermitage Major Theater Award is made possible with a generous multi-year gift to the Hermitage from Flora Major and the Kutya Major Foundation.