stitt Guide to the Don Stitt Collected Plays MS 049 MS 049 Finding aid prepared by Finding aid prepared by Jamie Cantoni

Western Connecticut State University Archives and Special Collections
181 White St Danbury, CT, 06810 203.837.8992 stevensb@wcsu.edu
This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit 2009-12-01T10:15-0500 Finding aid is in English Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules Don Stitt Collected Plays MS 049 Western Connecticut State University Archives and Special Collections 1.0 Linear feet 1974-2007 Don Stitt is an actor, writer, director, choreographer and composer who began his career in the mid 1960s. He received his MFA from WCSU in 2007. The collection includes his written work created throughout his career in the theater. Stitt, Don Historical Biographical Note

Don Stitt is an actor, writer, director, choreographer and composer who began his career in the mid 1960s. He was born in 1956, in Stamford, CT. He attended San Francisco State University and while there wrote the book, music and lyrics for Babes on 42nd Street, The Doonesbury Revue, Joy, and A Kid's Summer Night's Dream. He was a professional actor through the 1970s based in California and continued to write for the theater. In 1976, he was in the cast of Beach Blanket Babylon. The following year he was featured in the first Equity production of The Great American Backstage Musical, performing it in San Francisco and Palm Springs.

In 1978, Stitt created a revue called Irving Berlin in Revue, which ran for two years (and enjoyed a revival in 1993.) He then relocated to New York City where he directed an Equity production of his children's piece, A Kid's Summer Night's Dream in 1979. Later that year, he choreographed Godspell and appeared in Man of La Mancha and Grease for the Burt Reynolds Dinner Theater.

In the 1980s, he made his Broadway debut in Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up?, and returned in Late Nite Comic a few seasons later. (The latter is the subject of the book We Bombed in New London.) Stitt was integral to the New York revival of El Grande de Coca Cola at The Village Gate and toured with Chita Rivera and the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes for over a year in Can-Can.

In the 1990s, he played in Alan Freed in Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story and played Marcus Lycus in the revival of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum on Broadway and was prominent as a commercial actor in hundreds of spots as an on-camera and/or voice-over actor.

Stitt also made some brief appearances in some feature films, including Fame, Simon, Stardust Memories, The Wanderers, and World Trade Center.

More recently, Stitt has played the Mayor of Whoville, first in the National Tour of the Broadway musical Seussical, (which starred Olympic gymnast Cathy Rigby as the Cat in the Hat,) and another production at the Fulton Opera House in Lancaster, PA. He has also appeared on television's "Law & Order," and made his 15th appearance on "The Late Show with David Letterman" in 2005. That same year, he also played Elton John in the world premiere of A Girl Called Dusty at the Provincetown Playhouse.

He received an MFA in playwriting from Western Connecticut State University in 2007, where premiered a one-man show called The Voices in My Head Have Formed a Choir and Somebody's Singing Flat!, as well as a comedy called Civil Intercourse.

He is married to Professor Elizabeth Popiel of WCSU, who is also a resident scenic designer for Good Morning America.

Stitt currently lives in New York City.

Sources:

Evans, Seth (undated). Don Stitt Professional Actor/Comedian. Retrieved April 14, 2009, from http://sethevans.net/ Web site: http://sethevans.net/roscoe/bios/donbio.htm

Scope and Content Note

This is a collection of Don Stitt's works ranging from the 1974-2008. Stitt's Master's thesis is also housed in Special Collections but is not yet cataloged.

 Arrangement

Folders are arranged into one series.

 Preferred Citation

Published citations should take the following form:

Identification of item, date (if known); The Don Stitt Collected Plays; MS 049; box number; folder number; Western Connecticut State University Archives

 Provenance

Donated by Don Stitt in 2009.

 Access Restrictions

Open to researchers without restriction.

 Use Restrictions

Permission to publish materials must be obtained in writing from the: Ruth A. Haas Library Special Collections and Archives 181 White Street Danbury, CT 06810 Phone: 203-837-8992 Fax: 203-837-9108 E-mail: stevensb@wcsu.edu

 Related Material

Don Stitt's Master's Thesis (not yet cataloged).

 Stitt, Don Drafts (documents). Scripts (documents). Videotapes. Inventory The collected plays of Don Stitt - play summaries w/ photo 1 1 2008 General note

Summary of Don Stitt Plays from 1974 to 2004 and b&w photograph

 Babes On 42nd Street 1 2 1974 General note

Script of Don Stitt Play

 The Doonesbury Review 1 3 1975 General note

Script of play

 Irving Berlin "In Review" 1 4 1978 General note

Script of play

 Joy 1 5 1976 General note

Script of play

 A Kid's Summer Night's Dream 1/3 1 6 1978 General note

Early Drafts of Score to play

 A Kid's Summer Night's Dream 2/3 1 7 1978 General note

Script of play

 A Kid's Summer Night's Dream 3/3 1 8 1978 General note

Vocal/Piano/Guitar Lead sheets from Score of Don Stitt play with CD

 Potshots 1 9 1979 General note

Script of play

 Rosco 1/2 1 10 2000 General note

Script of play

 Roscoe 2/2 1 11 2000 General note

Lead Score and CD of play

 Wits' End or Last Night at the Round Table 1 12 1984 General note

Script of play

 The Vicious Circle or Nights at the Round Table 1 13 2004 General note

First draft Script

 The Voices In My Head Have Formed A Choir And Somebody's Singing Flat 1 14 2004-2007 General note

Script of play, with 2 DVDs of a 2007 staging of the work.

 Irving Berlin "In Review" .... [video] 1 * 1978 General note

U-matic video (ucs 20)