Doug Stewart • Author

Doug Stewart • Author

Doug Stewart lives in St. George, Utah.  One of the most influential writers in the history of Latter-day drama, Stewart was the playwright and lyricist of the groundbreaking Latter-day Saint-themed musical Saturday’s Warrior (1974), a project staged by California college students independent of institutional Church sponsorship. He followed this up with a sequel, the musical Star Child. “Saturday’s Warrior” was adapted to a direct-to-video feature film in 1989 by director Bob Williams and producer David West, and has been widely seen by Church members. A “Star Child” video was released in 1999. Stewart also wrote the screenplay for the major Church-produced film “The Lost Manuscript” (1974), which was directed by Wetzel O. Whitaker. He wrote the screenplay for the independent family film “Where the Red Fern Grows” (1974), produced by Lyman Dayton. Doug brings with him a distinguished career in stage and film. He received his MA degree from BYU in 1968. He went on to become the associate producer of the film, The Fearmaker. In 1973 Doug won first place in the Utah Playwriting Contest for his book and lyrics to Saturday’s Warrior. He also wrote the screenplay for Where the Red Fern Grows, which starred James Whitmore and Beverly Garland and won the Blue Ribbon Box Office Award, parent’s Magazine Citation, and awards from McCall’s and the Motion Picture Association. He also wrote the screenplays Seven Alone and Against a Crooked Sky, which starred Richard Boone. In 1976, he was commissioned by the LDS Church to write the book and lyrics for the Bicentennial Musical, Threads of Glory, part of which was performed at Ronald Reagan’s Inauguration in 1981. In 1978 he formed his own production company which toured shows throughout the nation, and continues to license shows world-wide. In 1983 and 84, he co-produced the films Solo and The Red Fury. Other musicals to his credit include Latter-Day Ruth, Star Child, A Day, A Night & A Day, Dream Street and Almost Perfect. In 1991 Doug first shared his dream of producing the outdoor musical UTAH! The magnificent Tuachan Amphitheater and Center for the Arts are the result of that dream. Doug and his wife Mary are the parents of eight children, and reside in St. George, Utah.

Theatricals Authored:

  • What My Heart Says (Musical) w/Merrill Jenson (Soon with Leicester Bay Theatricals)

LDS Theatricals Authored:

ORIGINAL CAST ALBUMS