Dom Magwili

Greetings and Salutations, everybody!

It was the 1970s. I was graduating from the University of San Francisco. I had gone through many changes. I started in competitive speech and debate but discovered acting in my Junior Year. By graduation I found myself in an entrance interview for the Acting Program of the American Conservatory Theatre. It was there I said, in a trembling voice, that yes, I was a professional actor.

After that I made my way down to Los Angeles to seek my fortune. Got married. Got grandchildren. Got great grandchildren. It’s a life.

But in those days, it was in L.A. that I pivoted into Asian American Theatre and Asian American Studies. The Vietnam War was still raging. The Civil Rights movement was present. The Black Panthers. The effects of the grape strike persisted. Viva La Raza! The Yellow Brotherhood continued. Ethnic Studies was being fought for. Specifically, for me, Asian American Studies was being fought for. We wanted to claim our American history and experience.

Up to this time, any Asian roles of substance usually went to non-Asian people. I give you all the Charlie Chan actors of the movies. There was this growing tsunami among Asian American performers that life had to be better than this. It was! BUT we would have to do it ourselves. Hence, I worked not only as an actor but also as a playwright, a director, a producer, a screenwriter, a movie director, a novelist, an audio book narrator. I became hyphenated by necessity.

My instincts are entrepreneurial. They are creative and persistent. In 2022, the internet is the new frontier and I aim to stake my claim.

This is my website and you are welcome.