After a few years of working on fishing boats off the east coast and going to school sporadically, DeVita finally decided to pursue his acting degree at UW-Milwaukee. With his knowledge about Wisconsin mostly acquired from the TV show “Laverne and Shirley,” DeVita had no idea of what lay ahead of him. He was pleasantly surprised to find an active art scene in Milwaukee.

DeVita held various acting jobs in Milwaukee for about five years after graduating. He also traveled around the world performing in Australia, Japan and Germany.

“I could go back to New York and look for a job or stay and work,” he said about his decision to stay in Milwaukee. In addition, he knew a number of fellow actors in the area and found himself coming back to Wisconsin quite often. He finally decided to settle down in Spring Green with the American Players Theatre. Little did he know in 1984 that more than 20 years later he would have such strong roots in the state.

DeVita has been a member of the APT for 13 years. One of the things DeVita enjoys the most about having set his acting roots in Wisconsin is the familiar audience.
 
“Kids who watched me perform in Milwaukee when they were eight are now watching me perform at the APT,” said DeVita, commenting on Wisconsin’s intimate art scene.

The APT’s outdoor setting allows for a unique theater experience. DeVita believes that “the APT has the heartiest audience” and that “the outside, intimate setting is what keeps audiences coming back.”

“You won’t be rich and famous” working for the APT, DeVita said. However, he mentioned that it allows actors to lead a somewhat normal life, to have a family and live comfortably—all in a nice area.

The APT places a lot of weight on language and storytelling. The actors' jobs when they are on stage is to communicate an understanding of the play to the audience. As DeVita put it, “If Farmer Joe doesn’t understand, it is the actor’s fault, not Joe’s or Shakespeare’s.”

DeVita believes the APT and its members successfully draw audiences because they are “telling a story really clearly. And people like being told a good story.”

DeVita's schedule, in which he acts for six months of the year and is free to take other acting jobs or write for the remainder, allows him the necessary time to work on his writing. A self-described “closet writer” at the beginning of his career, DeVita has published more than 16 plays for young adults, including a slightly controversial piece on youth violence, and his own one-man show.

His first book was a science fiction novel—a far cry from his recently published book "The Silenced," which carries a heavy message for DeVita’s young adult readers.