David H. Fuks

My initial work as a writer for the stage was during the five years I worked with a marvelous team of actors and improvisers – “Waggie and Friends”. We had significant success in the Portland nightclub arena. What fun it was to be paid, for saying out loud, the things I would get in trouble by saying under my breath. (My favorite example was during a class I took in college. The fellow next to me had fallen asleep. The professor instructed me to wake him up. In a stage whisper, I responded, “Sir, you put him to sleep. You wake him up.” The instructor was less than delighted with my sense of humor. When I brought the drop slip for the class to his office, he signed it with a flourish.)

In any case, writing some of the comedy sketches for “Waggie and Friends” was a privilege. We would use these sketches as segues between the short-form improv-comedy games we played. They allowed us to get an easy laugh and to regain the support of the audience if things were not going well.

During my human service career, I primarily focused my writing on short stories and ten-minute one-acts. Given the other responsibilities I had taken on, I simply did not have time to write anything longer. At present, I am no longer encumbered.

Here are a few pieces you might find interesting:

A play that I have been working on for a number of years, “Alma de Luna”, is close to ready for production. Readers are welcome to review and critique.

A few of my stories have enjoyed recent public readings. A number of them were published in literary magazines and one, “Distinctions”, was awarded a first prize in the 2018 publication “American Fiction”.

Also, you can find the script for a one act play, “For Love”, which was performed as a staged reading at an event focused on the experience of being a child of Holocaust survivors. A video of this production is also included.

Furthermore, a new play which is still in the iterative phase of writing is available for your reading and comments. “True Life, A Shooters Story” is a dark piece, but one that reflects my concern for the violent society we now experience. This play will receive a formal reading as part of the Fertile Ground Festival on April 18, 2024 at Artists Repertory Theatre.

A few poems are also added. They are simple and personal works that I just want to share with you. The longest was my eulogy for my sister Myra.

I hope you enjoy the reading.