Erica Sutherlin is humbled and grateful to have the opportunity to direct The Dutchman, an important piece of literature. She is also grateful for opening doors for marginalized communities as the first woman of color to direct at American Stage. Erica comes from an extensive background in arts and education and is currently the Artist in Residence at Studio@620 in St Petersburg. She started in the arts with acting, then added theatrical directing to her resume, and now is a writer/director in television and film. She was a teacher at Pinellas County Center for the Arts (PCCA) at Gibbs High School for nine years, and received her MFA at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. Some of her favorite theatrical directing credits: Pass Over (Studio@620), The Last Days of Judas Iscariot (The Space at 2106), Ain’t Misbehavin’ (Stageworks), Memphis, The Musical (City Theatre), and Polaroid Stories (PCCA). A recent performance credit she is proud of is Lady Macbeth in Voodoo Macbeth (Studio@620). Film and television credits include “Stratosphere,” “Voodoo MacBeth,” “Unschooled,” “SUGAR LAND,”and most recently “Kirk Franklin’s A Gospel Christmas” (Lifetime). Sutherlin is also an accomplished essayist and poet with published works in “Building Womanist Coalitions: Writing and Teaching in the Spirit of Love” and “Hooked on the Art of Love: bell hooks and My Calling for Soul-Work.” Erica would like to give thanks to her family, her village, and God.