David Roche was voted by the members and visitors of Universe Spirit as our Humorist Artist for the Spring Quarter 2006
David is a humorist and keynote speaker who has transformed the lessons of lifelong facial disfigurement into a compelling message.
He is "...a theater pioneer, a major contributor to the emerging culture of disability. His ground breaking work gives voice to people who have been hidden and shamed. In his acclaimed one man show, The Church of 80% Sincerity, he weaves childhood memories, scars, dreams, desires and everyday human experiences into a brilliantly funny, moving and absolutely mesmerizing evening of theater." (Cheryl Wade, Disability Rag). David appeared at the White House in 1999 and in 2000 he headlined at the Paralympics Arts Festival in Sydney, Australia. He is currently performing in the USA, Canada, Ireland, England and Australia.
Born in Hammond, Indiana, David is the eldest of seven children. He spent four years in a Catholic seminary and later obtained his B.A in Philosophy at St. Joseph's College.
David developed his stage skills initially as a comedian in shows produced by Lee Glickstein. He worked with Access to Comedy, a troupe of disabled comedians, for several years. Subsequently he began building his signature theater work, playing to the many diverse communities of the San Francisco Bay Area. A veteran of San Francisco's Solo Mio Festival, he has been featured in several documentaries such as Able to Laugh and Face First, which have been shown on numerous PBS stations and from Zimbabwe to Siberia by the World Institute on Disability. The Perfect Flaw, a new documentary about David by Mike Grundmann, has won several festival awards.
David has appeared in ensemble work on stage in two world premieres: Charles Mee, Jr.'s Summertime at San Francisco's Magic Theatre and in Opening to You, Corey Fischer's Adaptation of Norman Fischer's translation of the Psalms.
David's favorite work is with students. He and his wife, Marlena Blavin, have recently produced a video version of Love at Second Sight, the program on appearance issues and diversity that they have done together for many middle schools.
He is also much in demand as a keynote speaker, speaking on issues such as self-esteem, diversity, disability and facing change to clients such as Hewlett Packard, Lockheed Martin, Lawrence Livermore Labs and many universities and other organizations.
David is currently occupied with developing new stage work and bringing to market the video version of Church.
David's presence is strong in his community as well as on stage. He is a member of the Marin County Committee on Disability. He is a co-founder of the Childcare Switchboard/ Single Parent Resource Center and the massage therapy internship program at California Pacific Medical Center, both located in San Francisco. David's daughter, Amy, is a talented vocalist and dancer. He resides in Mill Valley, California, with his wife, Marlena Blavin.
Please visit www.davidroche.com for more information on David and how to book him for speaking and storytelling.