New Hermitage Spring Programs Will Feature Michael R. Jackson, and More
Programs begin on April 30.
The Hermitage Artist Retreat has announced two new Hermitage programs featuring Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning playwright and composer Michael R. Jackson (A Strange Loop, White Girl in Danger, Teeth), celebrated Broadway and television actor Adam Chanler-Berat (Next to Normal, Peter and the Starcatcher, HBO's Gossip Girl), and returning Hermitage Fellow and composer Julian Hornik, a recipient of the Jonathan Larson Grant who recently collaborated with Academy Award-wining Hermitage Fellow Mark Sonnenblick. Hornik's residency is made possible through the McNally Fellowship at the Hermitage, supported by the Terrence McNally Foundation.
On Thursday, April 30 at 6:30pm, the Hermitage will present Hermitage Sunsets @ Benderson Park: “Making Songs and Making Sense,” featuring returning Hermitage Fellow, Pulitzer Prize winner, and Tony Award-winning playwright and composer Michael R. Jackson. Jackson exploded into the public consciousness with the premiere of his celebrated musical A Strange Loop, which transferred to Broadway after an acclaimed run at Playwrights Horizons, earning Jackson a Pulitzer Prize for Drama, a Tony Award for Best Musical, a Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical, and a total of eleven Tony Award nominations for the production. Registering to be in the audience for this special Hermitage program might just offer a ‘sneak peek' into what is next for this celebrated theater writer. In 2022, Jackson was named as one of Time Magazine's “100 Most Influential People.” A returning Hermitage Fellow, Jackson has previously shared selections from A Strange Loop and his original musical White Girl in Danger with Hermitage audiences after developing the latter during his time at the Hermitage. This time, Jackson will offer insight into his latest work and his creative process.
Then on Wednesday, May 6th at 6:30pm, the Hermitage will present Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby Gardens: “The New Generation of Musical Theater,” featuring two powerhouse writers and performers. Adam Chanler-Berat, a celebrated Broadway and television actor as well as a playwright, is known for originating leading roles in Next to Normal, Peter and the Starcatcher, and Amélie, as well as appearing as Jordan Glassberg on HBO's Gossip Girl. Returning Hermitage Fellow Julian Hornik has developed work with Academy Award-winning Hermitage Fellow Mark Sonnenblick and is a recipient of the Jonathan Larson Grant from the American Theatre Wing. These two extraordinary talents are frequent collaborators and rising stars in the New York musical theater world. They are now here at the Hermitage developing a new musical together. Join us for the latest “Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby Gardens” program as we hear these celebrated artists talk about their creative process and share original songs.
Julian Hornik's Hermitage residency is made possible through the McNally Fellowship at the Hermitage, generously sponsored by the Terrence McNally Foundation, a nonprofit organization committed to supporting bold new voices in the American theater by providing support to early-career playwrights and the institutions that support them. The McNally Foundation's mission to champion new playwrights aligns with the mission of the Hermitage Artist Retreat: to inspire and foster the most influential and consequential art and artists of our time. Created by legendary playwright/librettist Terrence McNally and supported through the ongoing royalties of his work, the Foundation is also committed to supporting LGBTQ+ causes, as McNally did throughout his life. Following Terrence's passing, Tom Kirdahy stated that the Foundation would continue the legendary playwright's “singular legacy of mentorship and activism.” Kirdahy, a Tony and Olivier Award-winning Broadway producer and the late Terrence McNally's husband, is the president of Tom Kirdahy Productions and a principal trustee of the McNally Foundation. He is currently represented in New York as the lead producer of the Tony Award-winning musical Hadestown, Just in Time, Ragtime, and the hit Off-Broadway revival of Little Shop of Horrors.
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