We recently connected with Valerie David and have shared our conversation below.
Valerie, thank you so much for making time for us today. We can’t wait to dive into your story and the lessons you’ve learned along the way, but maybe we can start with something foundational to your success. How have you gone about developing your ability to communicate effectively?
I was born with the gift of gab. I am sure I was talking in my mom’s belly, forewarning her that my favorite dessert was going to be any form of ice cream and to get a scoop ready upon my arrival. Growing up, when my parents grounded me (which was not often, although my parents might have a different recollection), the worst punishment they could give me was taking away my phone privileges. That surely made me repent any wrongdoings almost immediately and appreciate my conversations with others. I loved talking to people, and as a teen, I spent hours on the phone gabbing and still do as an adult—I love meeting people and making friends wherever I go.
I have also always had a passion to perform, especially singing. My first time singing a solo in public was when I was a Brownie in Girl Scouts. I was eight years old, in the third grade, and I sang Barbra Streisand’s “Evergreen” from A Star is Born. Looking back at the lyrics now, I had no idea what all that meant at such a young age! Performing in front of my troop helped me gain confidence in front of an audience, proudly earning my Girl Scout badge in music.
When I moved to Virginia Beach from Richmond, Virginia, in ninth grade, my communication skills really began to evolve because I was part of the drama department and student government. I started performing in musicals at First Colonial High School, with my favorite role to this day being Frenchie in Grease, donning that pink wig. I was Junior Class Secretary and then by senior year, I decided to run for Senior Class President. A guy named Crockett, one of the most popular jocks at school, started heckling me during my campaign speech. I stopped mid-speech, looked at him, and exclaimed authoritatively, “Be quiet!” Completely mortified, he shut up, and the whole class cheered and applauded. I was voted Senior Class President.
During my high school presidency, my leadership skills began to form, too. Once, I had to organize a 24-hour battalion to guard our class’s pirate-themed homecoming float because we found out that the junior class was planning to wreck our masterpiece in the middle of the night. I was a master communicator in the making!
Taking classes in and performing improv for many years honed my listening skills, and managing an editorial department early in my career taught me how to listen to others, and be more empathetic and patient. In improv, there is a rule of thumb where we say, “Yes, and” to our scene partner, which means you are onboard and in agreement. I translate that mantra to my own life—I say “Yes, and” to life, and I strive to be a positive and nurturing communicator. I still perform improv to this day, and I also teach it to middle school and high school students, and adults.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I am a performing arts professional, consider myself the Happy Healer, and my nickname is also The Pink Hulk. Why the hulk reference? Well, there are a few reasons: My life’s passion is to help others “hulk out” on their adversities in life, giving people hope in the challenges they face—that even in the darkest times, we can be guided into the light. There is nothing more important to me than telling others, “I’ve got your back. I am here for you. You CAN do this.” That’s because there are people in my life who did that for me, and I would not be here today if I did not have that support from my family, friends, and doctors who believed in me and in my survival. In promotional materials for my play (below), I describe my survival and my mission:
I am a New York City–based performer, playwright, and author who wrote and performs my award-winning solo show, The Pink Hulk: One Woman’s Journey to Find the Superhero Within. I wrote the autobiographical comedic drama to help inspire and motivate others through the empowerment/inner strength I had to find within myself to become a three-time cancer survivor. I conquered stage 3 non-Hodgkin lymphoma, stage 2 breast cancer, and stage 4 metastatic breast cancer—and currently have no evidence of disease. This year marks my 25th year of cancer survivorship. I work as a patient moderator and advocate for many cancer organizations and raise money for them through my Pink Hulk performances, as well as including post-show audience talkbacks. The Pink Hulk has been accepted into more than 50 play festivals worldwide, including in England, Finland, Iceland, and Sweden; its motto: NEVER EVER GIVE UP!
Synopsis: Now battling breast cancer after fighting off lymphoma, Valerie does something most people facing cancer in their life probably wouldn’t think of doing. With a fear that she might lose “the girls,” she takes them out for one last hurrah. And does Valerie succeed? Is there a “happy” ending? Come see the show to find out! This award-winning, internationally acclaimed, sexy solo show follows Valerie’s journey to seek her own “hulk-like” strength to find her superhero within to become a three-time cancer survivor. An empowering and true story of inspiration for anyone facing ANY adversity in their own lives—not just from cancer! With plenty of laugh out loud, heartwarming moments!
The Pink Hulk Mission
I turned my adversity into art with The Pink Hulk, which uplifts audiences through my motivational story in battling cancer, living life on my own terms, and crushing the obstacles that were in my path.
Pink Hulk Promo Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYClJjSdzBM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcZd8F5i8ZQ
AWARDS + ACCOLADES
The Pink Hulk has garnered rave reviews and won several awards:
• Prestigious “Act Alone Solo Show Award” at the Reykjavik Fringe Festival in Iceland
• The Colby Award for Excellence in the Arts for The Pink Hulk, which is in recognition of my career achievements
• The Queen’s Medal for Valour Performance Award, presented to an exceptional performer who brings bravery, grace, and humor to extraordinary circumstances, at the SaraSolo Festival
• The Audience Choice Award at the Shenandoah Fringe
• The WOW Award at Sweden’s Gothenburg Fringe for inspiring awe in audiences with the show’s creativity, humor, and content
Sampling of Press
NBC 4 New York Weekend Today interview with Anchor Gus Rosendale talking about The Pink Hulk and its impact
NBC LINK
https://www.nbcnewyork.com/on-air/as-seen-on/_the-pink-hulk_-to-premiere-off-broadway-this-week_new-york/1991918/
Reviews
“Watching Valerie David perform The Pink Hulk: One Woman’s Journey to Find the Superhero Within is something so rare and so marvelous; it is the most powerful and poignant two hours I have ever spent at a theater.” –Kristen Morale’s Broadway World Review
Kristen Morale, Broadway World
https://www.broadwayworld.com/off-off-broadway/article/BWW-Review-Living-Life-to-the-Fullest-with-Valerie-Davids-THE-PINK-HULK-20191013
LouReviews—London Theatre—Review of The Pink Hulk
LouReview’s Review
https://loureviews.blog/2023/07/04/digital-review-pink-hulk-national-womens-theatre-festival/
Keynote speeches, talkbacks, and community involvement:
I have been a keynote speaker for many cancer organizations. In June 2024, I will be the keynote speaker and performing The Pink Hulk at Fred Hutch Cancer Center’s 18th Annual Survivorship Event. I love doing these engagements because they provide me with an opportunity to inspire and give hope to others, especially in the cancer community.
Equally as important as performing the play are the audience talkbacks. There are talkbacks after each Pink Hulk performance—and my speaking engagements have included the Breast Friend’s Portland, Oregon’s Warrior Wellness Women’s Conference and the Power of Pink Summit Las Vegas conference, where I have been asked to return this year.
Post-performance talkback topics include:
• How to be your own best advocate
• Self-care, medical advancements, and managing stress
• Coping mechanisms
• How-to’s for alleviating the financial strain of treatment and beyond
• Advice for caregivers and loved ones
I am deeply involved in the cancer community, and I lend my support whenever possible. I am a workshop facilitator each month at Red Door Community (formerly Gilda’s Club of NYC), conducting virtual improv workshops for cancer patients and survivors. I am also a moderator for AdvancedBreastCancer.net, addressing constituents’ concerns and questions. At Rhode Island College, I performed The Pink Hulk for doctors and the nursing department as sensitivity training and to educate them on the patient perspective.
There is nothing more special to me than hearing from audience members how my show has made a positive impact.
I am also thrilled to share the news that my newest one-woman play, Baggage From BaghDAD: Becoming my Father’s Daughter, was awarded the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council Grant for 2024.
Information about my award-winning solo show Baggage From BaghDAD:
Baggage From BaghDAD is about one Middle Eastern Jewish family’s true inspirational journey of being forced to flee from religious persecution during the 1941 “Farhud” pogrom in Baghdad. It is the story of Valerie’s father and his family’s struggle to transcend their harrowing past and build a new home in America. As father and daughter learn to love and to accept their differences, the importance of family takes center stage as she begins to understand how his tale of survival and perseverance shaped her convictions and her future.
Because the play is rooted in the historical civil unrest for the Jews of Iraq, Baggage From BaghDAD also mirrors the current struggle of today’s Ukrainian refugees, the Israel-Gaza War, and rising racial and religious discrimination worldwide. Some of the universal themes center around immigration, refugees, social injustice, generational trauma, prejudice, mental health, discrimination, bullying, and the love and loss of family.
It celebrates the resiliency of the human spirit. The show finds humor even in the darkest of times, reflecting our current climate of discrimination and prejudice permeating globally.
Sampling of Press
Feature story in the Vermont Argus Times:
Story LINK
https://www.timesargus.com/features/vermont_arts/baggage-from-baghdad-fleeing-the-nazis-in-1941-iraq/article_91facf44-e824-595c-9535-5d8604a0932d.html
Baggage From BaghDAD received top theater honors in its very first full production:
• The Spoken Word and Theatre Award at the 2022 Stockholm Fringe Festival
• Nominated for the Grand Prix Award at the 2022 Stockholm Fringe Festival
• Winner, Best Play by the 2022 Sweden Broadway World Regional Awards
• Semi-finalist for the 2021 Doric Wilson Independent Playwright Award
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
• Never feel shame for falling down. Get back up, look at those falls as learning experiences, and have faith that another door will open. Never strive to be perfect. Just do your best and be proud of that.
• Find the humor and joy in life. Laugh, and laugh loud and often. Eat ice cream when you want to and as much as you want to!
• Put friendships and family first over career/work. Go out of your way to help others, and don’t be too busy—try to accept every invitation. The most important thing in life is to build and nurture your relationships. Don’t work so hard that you have no downtime for yourself and others. Enjoy your life and try to make a difference in someone else’s.
The most significant advice I can give is to learn to love yourself. Let others love you. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Seek therapy, exercise the blues away, and meditate. We are not an island. Surround yourself with those who love you unconditionally, and stay far from those who don’t have your best interests at heart.
Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
My parents instilled in me the precious value of self-respect and your reputation, standing up for myself, and never being afraid to fail. They let me make my own decisions, even when it was against their instincts. When I did fall down my mountain, and so many times I did, they encouraged me to get back up and gave me their hand to help pull me up. My parents made me accountable for my actions, and they taught me that we are all equal, to treat people with respect, and to be kind.
Education was of utmost importance to both of them. My parents encouraged me to apply for the London Studies Abroad Program my junior year, the year before I graduated from James Madison University. It was my first time flying to Europe, and I fell in love with travel. It changed my life, and I knew that travel was going to be a big part of it. When I was miserable with my corporate career choice and decided I wanted to go back to acting, they supported my decision to move from Virginia to New York to pursue acting, where I attended and graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. My parents knew it would make me happy, even if it wasn’t the easiest career endeavor.
When I received the phone call that my biopsy showed a malignancy and I was diagnosed with cancer for the first time, I slumped to the floor and was uncontrollably sobbing in a fetal position. My mother held me in her arms, and then my dad scooped me up and pulled me up off the floor. They both raised me up literally and figuratively, and my parents said, “Valerie, we are going to fight this together. We love you. You’re going to be OK.” Two more cancer diagnoses after that and 25 years later, I am still here, grateful and thankful for their faith in me. How could a child love my parents as much as I love them? My dad is no longer with us, but I look to the stars in the sky and know that he is still guiding me from above, as my mom still guides me here on Earth.
Thank you, Bold Journey, for giving me the opportunity to be a part of your amazing publication and sharing my story.
Headshot credit: David Pexton Photography
Contact Info:
- Website: https://pinkhulkplay.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pinkhulkplay/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pinkhulkplay/, https://www.facebook.com/valerie.david.96558/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valeriedavid/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXRTfJ7EdCBEjlhsZw3bI-w
Image Credits
David Pexton Lauren Adler Emily Hewitt Naomi Carter Kevin Brown, Jr.
