Hermitage Beach Hosts Award-Winning Playwrights Anna Deavere Smith & Beth Steel for Special March Program
The Hermitage Artist Retreat has announced an exciting new addition to its March programming, bringing together two of the most influential voices in contemporary theater for an intimate evening on the Gulf Coast.
On Thursday, March 19, 2026, at 6:30 p.m., the Hermitage will present Dramatizing the Contemporary World, a sunset beach program featuring Anna Deavere Smith, the Tony Award–nominated, Pulitzer Prize–finalist playwright and performer, alongside UK playwright Beth Steel, an Olivier Award nominee and Hermitage Major Theater Award finalist. The program will take place on the Hermitage Beach on Manasota Key and will offer audiences rare insight into how these celebrated artists transform the modern world into powerful theater.
Smith, a Hermitage Fellow, is widely credited with creating a groundbreaking theatrical form that blends journalism, performance, and social commentary. Her acclaimed works—including Fires in the Mirror, Twilight: Los Angeles, Let Me Down Easy, and Notes from the Field—draw directly from interviews to explore contemporary issues through multiple perspectives. Over the course of her career, Smith has received numerous honors, including the National Endowment for the Humanities Medal, a MacArthur Fellowship, multiple Obie Awards, and two Tony Award nominations. Beyond the stage, she is also well known for her work on television and film, with appearances in The West Wing, Inventing Anna, Nurse Jackie, Black-ish, Philadelphia, and Rachel Getting Married. She currently serves as a University Professor at New York University and holds honorary doctorates from institutions including Harvard, Yale, Juilliard, and Oxford.
Joining her is Beth Steel, whose most recent play, Till the Stars Come Down, enjoyed a sold-out run at London’s National Theatre before transferring to the West End’s Theatre Royal Haymarket in 2025. The play earned a nomination for Best New Play at the Olivier Awards and further recognition from the Standard Theatre Awards. Steel’s earlier works—including The House of Shades, Wonderland, and Ditch—have been finalists for major international playwriting honors, solidifying her reputation as one of the UK’s most compelling contemporary dramatists.
Although one artist is American and the other British, both Smith and Steel are known for their sharp observation, social insight, and fearless approach to storytelling. During this Hermitage Beach program, they will discuss their creative processes, reflect on dramatizing real-world events, and share excerpts from their original work in an informal, conversational setting.
Hermitage programs are free and open to the public, with a $5 per person registration fee. Most programs run approximately 60–70 minutes and do not include an intermission. Seating is limited, and advance registration is required at www.HermitageArtistRetreat.org.
Additional Hermitage programs for March and April will be announced soon. Due to ongoing campus recovery efforts and shifting residency schedules, events will continue to be announced on shorter notice, and audiences are encouraged to check the Hermitage website regularly for updates and new registrations.
The Hermitage Artist Retreat is a leading national arts incubator and the only major arts organization on Florida’s Gulf Coast exclusively dedicated to supporting the creation of new work across all artistic disciplines. Through multi-week residencies on its Manasota Key campus, the Hermitage hosts accomplished artists from around the world while offering the community a unique opportunity to experience bold new ideas and works in progress—often long before they appear on major stages, in galleries, or in concert halls worldwide.
Photo from Hermitage Artist Retreat