THE 600 block on First Ave South, St Pete, is the home of the always exciting, ever- changing, The Studio at 620. The new Artistic Director of this eclectic arts haven, alternating music, visual arts, theatre, poetry, movement, and a myriad of other artistic endeavors in its inviting space is the multi-talented, Erica Sutherlin. In comparison to the Icon Bob Devin Jones’s much lauded twenty year stint leading his brainchild, Ms Sutherlin, on board since July 1st, is still in the honeymoon phase. Filling the shoes of towering Bob Devin Jones, is not a small feat, but Sutherlin has already managed to dig her sturdy soles firmly into the soil of The Studio at 620.
Ms. Sutherlin has been an intermittent fixture at The Studio for many years, developing from her strong roots there. Her first appearance on the Studio’s cozy stage was in For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow Is Enuf, by Nitozake Shange, and expanded to more acting and directing there as well as in the Tampa Bay area. Thus, Erica Sutherlin is not unfamiliar to Tampa Bay, or even to Studio 620, but helming this artistic gem is a new, exciting step for her and for the Tampa Bay area.
Several years ago, after a quick visit to her sister, who encouraged her to stay, she laughed and said “I could never live here.” That was long before St. Pete had developed its vision as a city of more cultural, social, and artistic offerings, become a magnet for artists, and before Ms. Sutherlin connected with The Studio at 620. It took a few incarnations in the city to promote a complete turn around and love the place she once felt she couldn’t live in. It’s been a circuitous route back to St Pete for Ms. Sutherlin.
Upon her graduation from Illinois Southern University, she informed her mom she was going to be an actress and was moving to Chicago. Her mother, as mothers do in such moments, reminded her daughter that she hated the cold. Ms Sutherlin moved to a different acting mecca, L.A. Apparently, having her mother’s wisdom, Ms Sutherlin understood something else about herself. She knew she could never live as a “struggling artist.” She was too sensible, too creative, and too resourceful for life in a garret, cadging bits of work when she could. Her training at both ISU, and later at the University of Southern California, taught her that you don’t wait for work to come to you. You make it happen. Thus, after one year, not choosing to let more time go by in the unpredictable life that LA. offers, she decided to try St Pete. That was when she first found Bob Devin Jones and Studio 620. Or perhaps, that was when Bob Devin Jones and his studio found her. A poetess, she was often there presenting her spoken-word presentations, or acting, and later, directing. Her presence became more known around town, and her talents drawn upon by other theatres.
But the pull to California drew her. This time, it was graduate school at U.S.C. for studies in the cinematic arts of film and TV production. She told herself she’d give L.A. five years. By graduation, taking place online, the pandemic had hit, shutting down the town. She opted for survival. She could make films anywhere. Hence, the return to St Pete, this time with yet more tools in her skill bag. Leaving L.A. was not easy. Her sister had moved. With no family around her, she moved in with a friend, but feeling her plans had gone awry, she cried for the first three months. Then she got herself together. She went right back to Studio 620 and Bob Devin Jones, whom she calls Bobby, or alternately, ‘my heart.’ He had conveyed to her that she always had a place there. For an artist to know there is a safe harbor they can always return to, a place to grow and be nurtured, is a rare gift that few artists get to experience. As she said, it is”powerful.” She was welcomed as fully as she had been the first time. By then she’d already started transitioning more into directing. Aside from her many efforts at the Studio, in 2022 she directed The Dutchman, by Amira Baraka. Recently, she directed Ragtime,The Musical In the Park, and Color Purple, all for American stage.
One day, sitting alone in the space that felt as familiar as her living room, maybe more so, it struck her that The Studio had been, and was, her home. There had been talk that Bob Devin Jones, after twenty years, in order to move on to other interests, was planning to relinquish his role as Artistic Director. In a moment of insight she said to herself, “I should helm this space.” She went to BDJ and asked if her name could be put in the hat for consideration. He replied to her “There is no hat. It’s you.”
Ms. Sutherlin is no slouch. As she self-proclaims, “I am an artist, but I am also business-minded.” Though she looks like ‘a kid’ still, her resume belies her youthful demeanor. Adding film skills to her acting, directing, poetry, dance and teaching background, she wasted no time creating her own film company. At the moment, her production company has been hired by Creative Pinellas to make a series of films for students regarding gun safety. Students will soon be learning, for example, that many shootings occur with stolen guns, often by those that have not been locked up properly. Her film-making has included the film, Kirk Franklin’s A Gospel Christmas, for Lifetime Networks, after being selected for their mentoring program, Broader Faces.
Capitalizing on her training and school associations, she was a co-writer for the film, Voodoo Macbeth, produced jointly by USC and Warner Brothers. She praises USC for the work ethic and opportunities it provided through peer projects, where she was able to develop a limited dramatic series, Sugar Land, and helped to develop and produce the sitcom Unschooled. That writing led to narrative features for Village Roadshow and the United Kingdom-based production company, iGeneration. There are also her contributions to published works, via her essays and poetry. In 2022 she received the Creative Pinellas Individual Artist Recovery Grant, she was selected as a Fellow with the Advancing Racial Equity on Non-Profit Boards, class of 2022. Mayor Kenneth T. Welch appointed her to the City of Saint Petersburg Arts Advisory Committee in 2023, and recently as chair. She is graduate of the class of 2024 Leadership St. Pete. These accomplishments reflect her belief in herself as well as a pattern of growth from each experience. She brings all this amazing achievement to The Studio at 620.
Most people entering the Studio immediately feel comfortable. It doesn’t impose the formality of many other cultural institutions. The glass front letting you see glimpses of the art work on exhibit, the relaxing lighting, and the warmth of those greeting you— primarily volunteers—are all welcoming. You will run into friends and neighbors for a chat before the show, in it’s small entrance area, at its short bar, or on the sidewalk at intermission. Attending any event at The Studio somehow lets one feel they have an investment in this space. Volunteering and/or a small annual membership fee is another way to invest and get member discounts.
The brilliance of making The Studio at 620 a hub for so many artistic expressions, has always been one of its strengths, and bringing diverse artists in the area together, another. That won’t be lost. Under Erica Sutherlin, prior stalwarts such as Keep St. Pete Lit’s monthly Wordier that Thou, where writers share their work, Open Mic, for the area’s poets, or Radio Night, where short plays presented live, complete with sound effects, go out over the air waves, have once again been solidified. The various musical performances, from Classical to Jazz and all in between, will still be represented in a steady stream. Most involved will be local performers or artists who had their roots in the Tampa Bay area, and have now returned. Coming up, already highlighting the feminine aspects of art and the new leadership, are Ladies of Jazz.
Freddie Hughes from The Gallery at Creative Pinellas has been brought in to expand contacts with local artists, and as a curator for visual exhibits. Ms Sutherlin has created a calendar of events for the season so folks can make plans in advance. With an artistic background that spans all art forms, I’m excited for what innovative programs will be on the horizon.
As we spoke, she had just finished co-directing the play The Light, by Loy A. Web, which opened to a full house at The Studio. I first introduced myself to Ms Sutherlin, after a performance of Passover, which she directed in The Studio a year ago, with me still in thrall by the mesmerizing effect of the play. Passover takes place on one existential street corner where two young black men, as in the play “Waiting for Godot,” seem trapped, yet waiting for something; afraid to cross an invisible barrier, but waiting to move on. All three actors cast were terrific,, but most of the burden fell on the two leads, (one who happened to be the understudy that night) who needed to keep our attention in what, on the surface, often seemed like random street banter. To hold an audience’s interest in a play of limitations of settings, characters and plot, the actors need to be inventive, creative, make unpredictable choices, and trust in those choices. As director, Ms Sutherlin, clearly had a hand in inspiring, sparking the creative juices, allowing exploration, and giving confidence and guidance. Ms. Sutherlin, in simpler terms said that she felt it was the director’s job “to let people play.” For her, directing stage work is taking the journey with the actor. Striving to get them to another level. As a film director, her eye needs to be more focused on technical aspects such as the color theme, or more time spent collaborating with teams of people all working towards the overall vision.
The Studio’s new leader is a Black female and she says, of course, she can’t help but see the world through that lens. She wants The Studio to be an incubator for art that is new, edgy, quirky, less traditional. She is especially interested in how various art forms intersect; how, for instance, the digital medium and film can be combined with other artistic expressions. She is interested in art that addresses “how we heal, individually, and collectively, perhaps let the viewer sit in moments of discomfort, to be able to say, ‘I saw me in that’, to see ourselves reflected.” She happens to also be a fan of comedies and car chases. Her goal ultimately is for The Studio at 620 to retain i’s sense of community.
Ms Sutherlin is aware of the gift Bob Devin Jones has bestowed upon her. She does not take it lightly, but she knows she has built a background of training, a body of work, and enough varied interests in the arts, to be ready for it. Just as she approaches her direction of plays, Ms Sutherlin is approaching her new leadership role looking to find and express humanity, to discover and convey passion. She says, of working with actors, that she “likes to breath with them.” I suspect she’ll apply the same approach to those who choose to take advantage of the many offerings of this unique space. I think in each moment of each artistic endeavor in this very special home for her and so many, artists or audience members, she’ll be breathing with us. •
