Derek Sitter (born September 4, 1967) is an American filmmaker, actor, and entrepreneur. He is the founding owner of the Volcanic Theatre Pub in Bend, Oregon.[1][2][3][4][5]

Early life and education

Sitter was born and raised in McAlester, Oklahoma.[1][3] At 17, he was set to join the Air Force but quickly changed gears to go into the performing arts.[1] In 1986, he and some friends made it to the grand finals and won prize money for their rendition of "I Wanna Rock" by Twisted Sister on Puttin' on the Hits.[1][6] He earned a double degree in Communications and Advertising from Northeastern State University. He studied acting at LSU, where he earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in 1994.[1][3] He is an elected lifetime member of the Actors Studio.[3] In Bend, Oregon, he founded the Actors’ Realm and the Volcanic Theatre Pub.[2]

Acting career

Theatre

In 2001, Sitter was nominated for an Ovation Award (Best Featured Actor in a Play) for his role in The Dead Boy by Joseph Pintauro.[1][7][8] Sitter played "Will Draper" in the U.S. premiere of the play at the Laurelgrove Theatre in Los Angeles.[8] He doubled in the role of the "Young Priest of Sheridan's Fantasy,"[9][10] a Jekyll and Hyde sort of role where he got to play one part good, one part evil.[10] Sitter continued to work as a stage actor in Bend, Oregon,[11] notably as "Mikey" in "The Spin Cycle" for Innovation Theatre Works in 2011.[12]

Television

Year Title Season/Episode(s) Role(s)
2010 Leverage Season 3: Episode 13 Husband
2005 Zoey 101 Season 1: Episode 9 Keith
2002 Presidio Med[1] Season 1: Episodes 1 and 2 Dumont
1998 ER[1] Season 4: Episode 14 Chopper Pilot
1997 Chicago Hope[1] Season 4: Episode 7 Cop #2
1996 Nowhere Man Season 1: Episode 14 Recruit #1

Film

Acting

Early forays into film acting include a role in The Murder in China Basin (1999) in which, according to Variety, he gave a "standout"[13] performance.

Film production

As a filmmaker, Sitter made his mark with a short film called Tutu Grande (2018).[14] He wrote and directed the film and played the lead role.[3] The film won an award for screenplay at the LA Film Festival[15] and a nomination at the New York Film Festival.[16]

Two years later, he made another short film called Bugtussle, starring himself and John Mese.[17][18] Bugtussle was the culmination of an earlier film written and directed by Sitter: Coyote and Old Crow (Short 2015), starring Sitter and Wayne Newscome. The plot of Bugtussle centers around the same characters, but for the 2022 production, Sitter and John Mese respectively portrayed Coyote and Crow. Since the fall of 2023, Bugtussle is available on streaming platforms.[19]

Sitter's debut as a screenwriter was a short film called Second Sleep in 2012.[20] He based the story on his personal suffering from bipolar disorder.[11] The film, made on a small budget with funds raised on Kickstarter, and starring Fred Lehne, was directed by Chris Kas.[11] Sitter also wrote and directed a five-minute short called Black Cloud (Short 2016) about a depressed man driven to suicide.[21]

Awards

Tutu Grande won for the 5th edition of the "Indie Short" content at the Ring of Fire Film Festival.[22] Sitter himself won for Best Actor in that film in the same event.[23]

Business career

In 2010, he founded the Volcanic Theatre Pub in Bend[1][3][2] which he co-owned[4] with Don Tompos[2] until selling it in 2023.[5] VTP is an entertainment venue for live musical and theatrical performances as well as film screenings.[3] Through the "Actors' Realm," Sitter also conducted acting classes there.[3] VTP was founded in connection with the theater department at Central Oregon Community College.[5] VTP was a high risk venue with several canceled events during the COVID-19 pandemic.[24][25] Sitter sold it to John Davis of 1988 Entertainment, a fellow resident of Bend.[5]

Personal life

Sitter identifies strongly as someone living with bipolar disorder.[1][3][5] He is outspoken about his struggles with mental health, which include depression and anxiety, and for which he has been treated since he was 21.[1] These experiences have greatly influenced his work as a filmmaker.[1][11]

He is married to Jeanne Sanders (an actress and former teacher in the Los Angeles Unified School District)[1][3] and has a daughter.[1][11]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Derek Sitter.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Burns, Suzanne (8 February 2012). "Awakenings: Actor Derek Sitter draws on his own struggles for new film project". Bend, Oregon, USA: Bend Source Weekly. Archived from the original (Online news) on 7 April 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Pushing the Envelope: Derek Sitter's weirdness propels Fuddy Meers …". 2023-04-07. Archived from the original on 2023-04-07.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Bates, David (1 February 2021). "Derek Sitter: Exploring the ties between privilege and trauma". Portland, Oregon, USA. Oregon ArtsWatch. Archived from the original (Online news) on 6 March 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  4. 1 2 Rook, Erin (6 August 2014). "The Sound and the Fury". Bend, Oregon, USA: Bend Source Weekly. Archived from the original (Online news) on 7 April 2023. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "1988 Entertainment Buys Volcanic Theatre Pub The Source Weekly - Be..." 2023-04-07. Archived from the original on 2023-04-07.
  6. ↑ "1986 Puttin' on The Hits "Infant Rock" Twisted Sister". YouTube. User: coyoteweed. Retrieved 9 April 2023. Kirk Campbell, Dan "The Man" Phillips, Derek Sitter, and Kenny Bodine. Grand Finals Winner "Infant Rock" in the 1986 Season of "Puttin' On The Hits." Twisted Sister "I Wanna Rock"
  7. ↑ Ehren, Christine (10 October 2001). "Lion King, Contact Vie for L.A. Ovation". Playbill. Archived from the original on 27 July 2021. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  8. 1 2 Ehren, Christine (10 August 2001). "Soaper Stephen Nichols Plays L.A. in U.S. Premiere of The Dead Boy Aug. 10-Sept. 30". Playbill. Archived from the original on 8 April 2023. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  9. ↑ Hitchcock, Laura (11 August 2001). "A CurtainUp LA Review: The Dead Boy". CurtainUp. The Internet Theater Magazine of Reviews, Features, Annotated Listings. Archived from the original on 20 June 2021. Retrieved 14 June 2023. Pintauro goes beyond the predictable themes of guilt, religion and sexuality. His key characters are Father Sheridan (Stephen Nichols), the priest accused of having sex with Will Draper (Derek Sitter). Sitter also plays Sheridan as a young priest, giving the play an added dimension....The pyrotechnical dual role of the hustler Draper and The Young Priest, given its full due here by Derek Sitter, could easily overshadow the cast but that doesn't happen here.
  10. 1 2 McCulloh, T.H. (14 August 2001). "The Dead Boy". Backstage.com. Backstage. Archived from the original on 5 October 2018. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 "Writer-actor explores mental illness Local&State bendbulletin.com". 2023-04-08. Archived from the original on 2023-04-08.
  12. ↑ Burns, Suzanne (23 February 2011). "Breaking the Fourth Wall: Spin Cycle Bends Narrative Structure and Delivers a Solid Story". Bend Source Weekly. Archived from the original on 8 April 2023. Retrieved 8 April 2023. Sitter, voted Hottest Teacher in the Source's recent Lust List, steals the show as a man with such a profound Peter Pan complex that we question his mental stability as he ogles his childhood Candyland game with the kind of rapt excitement that would ring false in the hands of a lesser actor.
  13. ↑ "The Murder in China Basin - Variety". 2023-04-08. Archived from the original on 2023-04-08.
  14. ↑ Ng, Alan (1 April 2021). "Tutu Grande". Film Threat. Archived from the original on 28 July 2021. Retrieved 10 April 2023. The 13-minute short film opens in a darkened room with two men.
  15. ↑ "Screenings/Awards". FilmFreeway. Archived from the original on 10 April 2023. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  16. ↑ "'Tutu Grande' Is About Getting A Taste Of One's Own Medicine!". Indie Shorts Mag. Indie Shorts Mag Team. 19 August 2020. Archived from the original on 4 December 2022. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  17. ↑ Rovira, Ashley (5 April 2023). "Interview with a Wild Son". Heavy Crown Press. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  18. ↑ Rovira, Ashley (18 July 2022). "Bugtussle". Heavy Crown Press. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  19. ↑ https://reelgood.com/movie/bugtussle
  20. ↑ Jasper The Bulletin, D. (2012, January 28). Close to home - • Bend writer-actor taps his experience as he explores mental illness in new short film. Bulletin, The (Bend, OR). Available from NewsBank: America's News – Historical and Current: https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AMNEWS&docref=news/13C90CC71A9E1E10.
  21. ↑ Q&A with a local filmmaker - Derek Sitter's "Black Cloud" will screen at the venue he owns. (2016, October 6). Bulletin, The (Bend, OR). Available from NewsBank: America's News – Historical and Current: https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AMNEWS&docref=news/15FD93D8F6832788.
  22. ↑ "The Ring of Fire Winner Indie Short Tutu Grande". Instagram. @the.ring.of.fire.film.fest Instagram. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
  23. ↑ "The Ring of Fire Winner Best Actor Derek Sitter". Instagram. @the.ring.of.fire.film.fest Instagram. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
  24. ↑ "Bend's Volcanic Theatre Pub cancels two scheduled concerts" (Video). YouTube. Bend, Oregon, USA: KTVZ News Channel 21. 7 April 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  25. ↑ McELHINEY, B. (2020, March 19). Bend's music industry struggles amidst coronavirus shutdowns - Promoters, venues stand to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars. Bulletin, The (Bend, OR), p. 007. Available from NewsBank: America's News – Historical and Current: https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AMNEWS&docref=news/179CDB831388CF08.
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