The collaboration between The Studio@620 and Powerstories is just one of the initiatives that have come into being as part of Erica Sutherlin’s tenure as the Studio’s artistic director. Over the course of the next several months, Sutherlin will continue to put her own stamp on the St. Petersburg arts and community center co-founded by Bob Devin Jones, who retired in June of 2024.
The first stage in what she calls “a three-phase rollout” was an open house event on May 31 of this year. A new mural on the side of the building emphasizes the welcoming vibe.
A refreshed mission statement reinforces Devin Jones’s “The Answer Is Always Yes” philosophy while emphasizing “the creative workforce”—think of the new motto as “Yes, and…” The Studio, which famously incubated the creation of arts organizations like freeFall Theatre, is now presenting paths forward for individuals, too.
Case in point: The crew for “Cadillac Crew” includes an audio engineer who’s never done a theatrical sound design before, and the stage manager is taking on her first backstage leadership role.
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The next stage in the rollout is what Sutherlin calls “the sustainability phase, building revenue streams that will sustain the Studio beyond Erica.” Plans include a small boutique, strategic partnerships with USF, and expanding on the Studio’s existing education components.
The rollout’s third phase will be perhaps the most visible, as the center modifies its branding so that “The Studio” takes pride of place over the “@620” part of the name. The look of the building will gradually change, too, and a new website will premiere in January.
Sutherlin told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay she is excited about the Studio’s theatrical season. Following “Cadillac Crew,” she’ll be staging an all-female “Julius Caesar” (March 12-22); “A Streetcar Named Desire” (April 16-26); and the musical “Passing Strange” (June 11-21).
“The shows represent four different aspects of my creative brain,” says Sutherlin, whose varied resume includes first-rate productions of the two-person “Pass Over” at the Studio and the massive musical “Ragtime” for American Stage in the Park. “‘Streetcar’ and ‘Julius’ are part of our Sankofa series—a look at classic works through a different lens.” [Sankofa is a Ghanaian concept meaning “look to the past to inform the future”.]
The bare minimum cost of producing a show, she says, is about $35,000.
“We have to pay people a decent wage—and I hope to be getting close to a livable wage. And we have to continue to find sponsors and programs that bring in money because tickets pay only a small percentage of the production cost. In a facility with 80 seats, and a top ticket price of $40, even if we sell out all eight performances, that still doesn’t pay for the production.”
Community support will continue to be crucial.
“The space is full and vibrating,” says Sutherlin, “but we are still trying to keep our doors open… If we talk about how much we love the Studio and how it’s been a beacon, we need to support it.”
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This article appears in Oct. 30 – Nov. 5, 2025.