Set in the Vietnam War era, David Trujillo’s stage play Many May Not Return reflects the complex relationship in the Mexican-American community with the concept of national military service as recalled in three wars—the current one, Korea, and World War II. A Chicano/Latino family in crisis as a consequence of two forces: the undeclared Vietnam War and their economic conditions as a working-class family. How do families face the issues of war while living in a nation that is continuously at war?

David Trujillo (Los Angeles, California) is a labor and community activist and working-class playwright. His company, Community Professionals, was founded in 2019 and provides an outlet for experimental community-based writing and theater presentations. Raised in Fresno, California, where his parents were farmworkers, Trujillo worked in the fields himself. He left to enter college at California State University, Los Angeles; attend the Harvard Trade Union program; and received a Master’s degree at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He is currently retired from union work and continues to write in Los Angeles, California. Trujillo orients himself through politically conscious plays that tackle racism, oppression, and exploitation presented to the audience through creative storytelling that both critiques and empowers them. However, he is not just telling a story; the plot always delivers a message for how to proceed. Trujillo challenges the idea of what theater should be while addressing working-class and social justice issues is paramount. Past stage plays include ‘Filthy Laundry’ (2024), ‘Many May Not Return’ (2022), ‘Legacy of A Garage Band,’ (2023), ‘Vincent’ (2024) and others. He continues to write and believes that in the years to come, class-conscious art and political theater will be more important than ever.