Tony-Nominated Broadway Star Betsy Wolfe to Headline the Hermitage's 17 Annual ARTFUL LOBSTER
The sold-out outdoor celebration will take place November 8 on the Hermitage’s beachfront campus in Sarasota County.
By: A.A. Cristi Oct. 30, 2025
The Hermitage Artist Retreat has announced that Tony Award nominee Betsy Wolfe (Waitress, & Juliet, Death Becomes Her) will headline the 17th annual Artful Lobster: An Outdoor Celebration on Saturday, November 8, from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The sold-out fundraising event will return to the Hermitage’s historic beachfront campus on Manasota Key after being displaced by hurricanes in 2024.
The afternoon will also feature performances by acclaimed Latvian guitarist and 2023 Hermitage Prize in Composition winner Matīss Čudars, and by Raleigh Mosely II, a 2024 Hermitage Cross Arts Collaborative Fellow and member of the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe. The event raises vital funds for the Hermitage’s artist residency program, which supports creators in music, theater, visual art, literature, and dance from around the world.
The Artful Lobster, now in its 17th year, is the Hermitage’s signature fall benefit and one of Sarasota’s most anticipated annual arts events. The outdoor luncheon takes place beneath a large tent overlooking the Gulf of Mexico and features a lobster feast catered by Michael’s On East, alongside live performances by Hermitage Fellows. The 2025 event is co-chaired by Sondra and Gerald Biller and Michael and Carol Clark.
About the Artists
Betsy Wolfe will soon star as Madeline Ashton in the upcoming Broadway musical Death Becomes Her. She recently earned acclaim in the title role of JOY, a new musical with a score by 2022 Hermitage Major Theater Award finalist AnnMarie Milazzo. Wolfe received a 2023 Tony Award nomination for her performance as Anne Hathaway in & Juliet and is widely recognized for her roles as Jenna in Waitress, Cordelia in Falsettos, and Cathy in The Last Five Years. She made her Metropolitan Opera debut in Die Fledermaus and has appeared with over 60 orchestras worldwide, including the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, New York Pops, and BBC Orchestra.
Matīss Čudars, recipient of the 2023 Hermitage Prize in Composition in partnership with the Aspen Music Festival and School, is a Latvian composer and guitarist whose work spans math rock, jazz, classical, and improvisation. Drawing inspiration from Latvia’s folk and choral traditions, his compositions reflect a lyrical and understated sensibility. Čudars holds degrees from the Amsterdam Conservatory and the Yale School of Music.
Raleigh Mosely II, the 2024 Hermitage Cross Arts Collaborative Fellow, is a member of the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe. He has performed as Jimmy Early in Dreamgirls and in Purlie, Broadway in Black, Joyful! Joyful!, Marvin Gaye: Prince of Soul, In the Heights, and A Motown Christmas. Conductor, pianist, and arranger Dr. Joseph Holt, a frequent Hermitage collaborator, will provide musical accompaniment.
Sarasota Awards - Live Stats
Best Musical - Top 3
1.
CABARET (The Sarasota Players)
23.1% of votes
2.
SYNCOPATED AVENUE (Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe)
21.5% of votes
3.
CHORUS LINE (Ovation Theatre Inc.)
11.8% of votes
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