Ben Sutherland doesn’t remember the first time he saw Back to the Future, but he knows it’s been his favorite movie ever since.
He started out as a performer in middle school when he lived with his family in Massachusetts. After they moved to Florida around 2017, he started performing at community theaters, including the Florida Academy of the Performing Arts.
“I really got my start here in the Lithia-Brandon area, with all these community shows that I did that really led me up to this. And this is just a big kick start to my career,” Sutherland said.
Now, at 21 years old and just a few months away from graduating college, he’s landed his dream role on the newest Royal Caribbean ship playing George McFly.
“I’ve actually never been on a cruise, so I’m really excited,” he said.
Sutherland has a one-year contract starting in March of 2026 to play the protagonist in the Back to the Future stage adaptation aboard Royal Caribbean’s Star of the Seas.
“This was actually my first big, like, New York audition,” he said about auditioning for the role earlier this year. “Going into it, I just knew I can do this character. Like, this is my thing.”
With around five months left before the Newsome High School graduate boards the ship, he’s finishing up his degree at the University of Tampa and performing in a few final shows.
He’ll be playing Ash, the main character in Evil Dead The Musical, from Friday, October 24, through Sunday, November 16, at Stageworks Theatre in Tampa.
Sutherland said if any performer tells you they don’t at least get a little nervous before a performance, they’re lying. But, he channels that nervousness into his performance.
“If you mess up, everyone’s there to see it, you know. … There’s no redos, and I just like that risk factor of it for sure,” he said.
And when he’s not working, he’s looking forward to exploring Royal Caribbean’s newest ship and the ports of call.
“Maybe I’ll catch a tan,” he added.
You can see Sutherland perform at Stageworks Theatre in Tampa before he sets sail in March 2026.
