HermitageArtistRetreat.org(Andy Sandberg, Artistic Director and CEO), in collaboration with the Philadelphia-based Greenfield Foundation, celebrated their15-year legacy by announcing the 20th Anniversary season, 2023 Hermitage Greenfield Prize which was awarded in two disciplines – one to acclaimed visual artist Sandy Rodriguez; and for the first time, the HGP has also recognized the discipline of dance and choreography, with a special prize going to groundbreaking Hip-hop and street-dance artist Lorenzo ‘Rennie’ Harris. Each will receive a commission of $30,000 to create an original work, along with a residency on the Hermitage Artist Retreat’s historic beachfront campus in Manasota Key, Florida.
Rodriguez and Harris are both well-respected artists in their field. Harris is considered a hip-hop master. The New York Times says: “Rennie Harris is the hip-hop master who has become one of the most exacting and exciting choreographers of his generation… It’s not just his decades-long work in hip-hop and street dance that brings such a vibrant lucidity to rhythm and the dancing body, but the way he gives virtuosity a sense of theater, of form, of feeling.”Art Critique says this of artist Sandy Rodriguez: “Sandy Rodriguez creates artworks that illustrate not only the political history of migration between the Americas but that also pay homage to indigenous artists.”
“Amidst a truly extraordinary field of finalists for both dance and visual art, Rennie Harris and Sandy Rodriguez are both groundbreaking generative artists who impressed the respective juries with their compelling and inspiring proposals,” says Hermitage Artistic Director Andy Sandberg. “Their dedication to their craft embodies the mission of the Hermitage Greenfield Prize — to bring into the world works of art that have a significant impact on the broad as well as the artistic culture of our society. We thank our distinguished jurors for their passion and dedication, and we congratulate all of our brilliant finalists, whom we look forward to welcoming at the Hermitage. We look forward to welcoming Rennie and Sandy to Florida for the Hermitage Greenfield Prize Dinner in April, and subsequently hosting them as Hermitage Fellows and sharing the first public presentations of their new commissions in Sarasota in 2025.” The Hermitage’s presenting partners for each of their works will be announced at a later date.
Three finalists for the 2023 Hermitage Greenfield Prize in Dance & Choreography include Dormeshia, hailed by The New York Times as “the queen of tap” and co-director of the tap program at Jacob’s Pillow; Jamar Roberts, a Bessie Award winner for Outstanding Performance who has choreographed for such noted institutions as Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, New York City Ballet, and San Francisco Ballet; and Christopher Williams, a 2021 Guggenheim Fellow in choreography whose works have been seen all over the world including commissions from Baryshnikov Arts Center, The Joyce Theater, NYLA, Opéra Royal du Château de Versailles, and Perm Opera & Ballet Theater.
For more information about the Hermitage, the Hermitage Greenfield Prize, and upcoming Hermitage programs, visit HermitageArtistRetreat.org.
Theatre Producers of Color (TPOC), the newly formed organization committed to supporting the next generation of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) producers by providing access to education, training, and mentorship, announced today the return of their annual educational program – “Producing 101,” where aspiring producers can learn the fundamentals of commercial producing, including development paths, financing, budgeting, and more, with experienced BIPOC and White ally leaders as their guides, tuition-free over 11 weeks. Applications are now open for aspiring producers.
The deadline to submit is January 30. To apply, please submit a resume and complete a short application at the following link: https://theatreproducersofcolor.org/producing-101
For more information, please visit https://theatreproducersofcolor.org/ .
Here Lies Love will premiere on Broadway in the Summer of 2023 at the Broadway Theatre (1681 Broadway at 53rd Street). The immersive disco-pop musical is based on the rise and fall of Imelda Marcos and the People Power Revolution of the Philippines, with music by Grammy®, Oscar®, and Tony Award® winner David Byrne and Grammy Award® winner Fatboy Slim.
Performances will begin Saturday, June 17, 2023, ahead of an official opening night on Thursday, July 20, 2023.
Here Lies Love is produced on Broadway by Hal Luftig, Patrick Catullo, Diana DiMenna for Plate Spinner Productions, Clint Ramos, and Jose Antonio Vargas.
The Broadway company of the Tony Award-winning, record-breaking hit musical Chicago will welcome James T. Lane in the role of “Billy Flynn,” joining the announced Jinkx Monsoon as “Matron ‘Mama’ Morton,” beginning Monday, January 16, 2023, at the Ambassador Theatre (219 W. 49th St., NYC). To learn more about Lane, go to www.jamestlane.com ; IG @jamestlane. With a legendary book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse, music by John Kander, and lyrics by Fred Ebb, Chicago is now the #1 longest-running American musical in Broadway history.