David Pittu
Encyclopedia
David Pittu is a versatile American
actor known primarily for his work in the theater.
in 1989. He is also a writer and director, and member of the Atlantic Theater Company
. In 2007, he received an Outer Critics Circle Award
(Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical) as well as a Tony
and Drama Desk
nomination for LoveMusik
, in which he played Bertolt Brecht
. In 2008, he received his second Tony nomination for the Mark Twain comedy Is He Dead?
. Also in 2008, he starred in "What's That Smell: The Music of Jacob Sterling," for which he also wrote the book and lyrics (music by Randy Redd) and which received an Outer Critics Circle nomination for Best Off-Broadway Musical. "What's That Smell?" was included in both the Entertainment Weekly
and The New York Times
in Top 10 Best Lists in Theater that year. Mr. Pittu received the St. Clair Bayfield Award
in 2009 for his performance as Feste in "Twelfth Night" at the Delacorte, and Outer Critics Circle and Lucille Lortel Awards
nominations for his work as Sir Robert Cecil in "Equivocation" (at Manhattan Theater Club). Other theater highlights include Tom Stoppard
's "The Coast of Utopia" trilogy at Lincoln Center, Harold Pinter
's "Celebration and The Room" (Atlantic Theater Company, 2005, Drama Desk & Lortel nominations), and "Company" Kennedy Center Sondheim Celebration (2002). His acclaimed performance as Leo Frank
in the National Tour of "Parade
" directed by Harold Prince, earned him the 2001 National Broadway Award (Best Actor in a Musical). He appeared in the Encores! concert productions of "Bells Are Ringing
" (2010, as Sandor) and "Of Thee I Sing
" (2007, as the French ambassador). In 2010, he received the Daryl Roth Creative Spirit Award.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor known primarily for his work in the theater.
Career
Pittu who is of Romanian descent grew up in Fairfield, Connecticut and graduated from New York UniversityNew York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
in 1989. He is also a writer and director, and member of the Atlantic Theater Company
Atlantic Theater Company
Atlantic Theater Company is an Off-Broadway non-profit theater, whose mission is to produce great plays "simply and truthfully utilizing an artistic ensemble." The company was founded in 1985 by David Mamet, William H. Macy, and 30 of their acting students from New York University, inspired by the...
. In 2007, he received an Outer Critics Circle Award
Outer Critics Circle Award
The Outer Critics Circle Awards are presented annually for theatrical achievements both on and Off-Broadway and were begun during the 1949-1950 theater season. The awards are decided upon by theater critics who review for out-of-town newspapers, national publications, and other media outlets...
(Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical) as well as a Tony
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
and Drama Desk
Drama Desk Award
The Drama Desk Awards, which are given annually in a number of categories, are the only major New York theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same category...
nomination for LoveMusik
LoveMusik
LoveMusik is a musical written by Alfred Uhry, using a selection of music by Kurt Weill. The story explores the romance and lives of Kurt Weill and Lotte Lenya, based on Speak Low : The Letters of Kurt Weill and Lotte Lenya, edited and translated by Lys Symonette & Kim H. Kowalke. Harold Prince...
, in which he played Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht was a German poet, playwright, and theatre director.An influential theatre practitioner of the 20th century, Brecht made equally significant contributions to dramaturgy and theatrical production, the latter particularly through the seismic impact of the tours undertaken by the...
. In 2008, he received his second Tony nomination for the Mark Twain comedy Is He Dead?
Is He Dead?
Is He Dead? is a play by Mark Twain. It was first published in print in 2003, after Mark Twain scholar Shelley Fisher Fishkin read the manuscript in the archives of the Mark Twain Papers at the University of California at Berkeley. The play was long known to scholars but never attracted much...
. Also in 2008, he starred in "What's That Smell: The Music of Jacob Sterling," for which he also wrote the book and lyrics (music by Randy Redd) and which received an Outer Critics Circle nomination for Best Off-Broadway Musical. "What's That Smell?" was included in both the Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
and The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
in Top 10 Best Lists in Theater that year. Mr. Pittu received the St. Clair Bayfield Award
St. Clair Bayfield Award
The St. Clair Bayfield Award was established in 1973 by the Actors' Equity Association in honor of St. Clair Bayfield to recognize Shakespearean actors and actresses.-External links:*...
in 2009 for his performance as Feste in "Twelfth Night" at the Delacorte, and Outer Critics Circle and Lucille Lortel Awards
Lucille Lortel Awards
The Lucille Lortel Awards recognize excellence in New York Off-Broadway theatre. The Awards are named for Lucille Lortel, an actress and theater producer, and have been awarded since 1986...
nominations for his work as Sir Robert Cecil in "Equivocation" (at Manhattan Theater Club). Other theater highlights include Tom Stoppard
Tom Stoppard
Sir Tom Stoppard OM, CBE, FRSL is a British playwright, knighted in 1997. He has written prolifically for TV, radio, film and stage, finding prominence with plays such as Arcadia, The Coast of Utopia, Every Good Boy Deserves Favour, Professional Foul, The Real Thing, and Rosencrantz and...
's "The Coast of Utopia" trilogy at Lincoln Center, Harold Pinter
Harold Pinter
Harold Pinter, CH, CBE was a Nobel Prize–winning English playwright and screenwriter. One of the most influential modern British dramatists, his writing career spanned more than 50 years. His best-known plays include The Birthday Party , The Homecoming , and Betrayal , each of which he adapted to...
's "Celebration and The Room" (Atlantic Theater Company, 2005, Drama Desk & Lortel nominations), and "Company" Kennedy Center Sondheim Celebration (2002). His acclaimed performance as Leo Frank
Leo Frank
Leo Max Frank was a Jewish-American factory superintendent whose hanging in 1915 by a lynch mob of prominent citizens in Marietta, Georgia drew attention to antisemitism in the United States....
in the National Tour of "Parade
Parade (musical)
Parade is a musical with a book by Alfred Uhry and music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown. The musical was first produced on Broadway at the Vivian Beaumont Theater on December 17, 1998. The production was directed by Harold Prince and closed 28 February 1999 after only 39 previews and 84 regular...
" directed by Harold Prince, earned him the 2001 National Broadway Award (Best Actor in a Musical). He appeared in the Encores! concert productions of "Bells Are Ringing
Bells Are Ringing (musical)
Bells Are Ringing is a musical with a book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green and music by Jule Styne. The story revolves around Ella, who works at an answering service and the characters that she meets there. The main character was based on Mary Printz, who worked for Green's answering...
" (2010, as Sandor) and "Of Thee I Sing
Of Thee I Sing
Of Thee I Sing is a musical with a score by George Gershwin, lyrics by Ira Gershwin and a book by George S. Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind. The musical lampoons American politics; the story concerns John P. Wintergreen, who runs for President of the United States on the "love" platform...
" (2007, as the French ambassador). In 2010, he received the Daryl Roth Creative Spirit Award.
Notable works
- What's That Smell: The Music of Jacob Sterling (2008)
- The Coast of UtopiaThe Coast of UtopiaThe Coast of Utopia is a 2002 trilogy of plays: Voyage, Shipwreck, and Salvage, written by Tom Stoppard with focus on the philosophical debates in pre-revolution Russia between 1833 and 1866...
(2006–2007) - LovemusikLoveMusikLoveMusik is a musical written by Alfred Uhry, using a selection of music by Kurt Weill. The story explores the romance and lives of Kurt Weill and Lotte Lenya, based on Speak Low : The Letters of Kurt Weill and Lotte Lenya, edited and translated by Lys Symonette & Kim H. Kowalke. Harold Prince...
(2007) - Is He Dead?Is He Dead?Is He Dead? is a play by Mark Twain. It was first published in print in 2003, after Mark Twain scholar Shelley Fisher Fishkin read the manuscript in the archives of the Mark Twain Papers at the University of California at Berkeley. The play was long known to scholars but never attracted much...
(2008) - New York Shakespeare FestivalNew York Shakespeare FestivalNew York Shakespeare Festival is the previous name of the New York City theatrical producing organization now known as the Public Theater. The Festival produced shows at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, as part of its free Shakespeare in the Park series, at the Public Theatre near Astor Place...
2009 production of Twelfth Night - Equivocation (play)Equivocation (play)Equivocation, written by Bill Cain, is a play about telling the truth in difficult times. It proposes the question: what if the government commissioned William Shakespeare to write the definitive history of a national crisis, the Gunpowder Plot, in one of his plays.-Synopsis:Act 1London. 1605. A...
2010