Erica was presented with the award at the Peter Brook Awards 2016, for her work with Northern Stage and the RSC, including the successful re-opening of The Other Place, Stratford-upon-Avon.

Erica became our Deputy Artistic Director in January 2013. She led the team which reopened The Other Place, a creative hub dedicated to daring theatrical exploration, in March this year.

She also directed A Midsummer Night’s Dream: A Play for the Nation in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, with 13 partner theatres, 18 professional actors, 14 amateur theatre groups and 580 school children, which toured the UK earlier this year.

Previously, Erica was Chief Executive of Northern Stage in Newcastle Upon Tyne from 2005 to 2012. She oversaw the opening of a completely redesigned new building, introduced a notably collaborative organisational culture and attracted local and national acclaim for the company's repertoire of work. 

This is the 27th annual Empty Space Awards, which recognise pioneering concepts and innovations in the spirit of director Peter Brook, achieved in smaller theatre spaces with little or no public funding.