Magic Theatre Welcomes Eleven New Board Members

Magic Theatre has announced that eleven new board members have joined in response to the recent hiring of new Artistic Director Sean San José. All of these new members have several things in common: Love and devotion for theatre; love and devotion to Sean and the company Campo Santo, and an amazing dedication to the community and performance arts of San Francisco and beyond. These new board members join the current board of seven who were intimately involved in selecting Sean San José and who support his vision of making the Magic Theatre the new artistic home for multicultural, multi-generational forms of performance in San Francisco. Magic Theatre will continue to deliver challenging, bold, beautiful, thought provoking and contemporary theater that it has built a legacy on, and now is becoming more expansive - in all ways.

"The task of expanding the Board of Trustees at Magic is part of the holistic re-imagining of Magic Theatre as we enter this New Era," said Sean San José. "The work with the current board was a big priority for me - as we aim for Magic to more fully represent our vibrant Bay Area life from the top down, inside out, and in all ways: from performers, community, staff, and Board. This is all a part of our new commitment to making Magic Home to more people."

In addition to our current Board, who oversaw the process to select a new Artistic Director, and kept Magic afloat during the debilitating shelter-in-place, our new members of the Board of Trustees include:

Dori Caminong is a native of San Francisco where she continues to work in and for the community. She previously worked for the Executive Team at Glide Memorial Church for 12 years side by side with Miss Janice Mirikitani and the good Reverend Cecil Williams. Dori works for the City and County of San Francisco in the Department of Children, Youth and their Families and oversees a budget of over $4.5 million that is responsible for administering programs that care for youth 0 to 24 years of age. Dori is also on the Entertainment Commission for San Francisco.

Colman Domingo is an actor, writer, director, Tony and Emmy nominated performer, who is now dedicated to making the Magic a community theater. Domingo is a do it all creator, active in film and television, including this summer's hit Zola and more recently Ma Rainey's Black Bottom and is a star of the AMC television show Fear the Walking Dead. Colman is the Executive Producer of the production company Edith Productions, developing and creating new content for AMC and elsewhere. Colman spent much of his formative years performing throughout the Bay Area with the likes of Theatre Rhinoceros, Campo Santo, Make-A-Circus, Berkeley Repertory, and many more.

Irene Faye Duller is a multifaceted educator, advocate, and creative. Among her many hats, Irene is an Adjunct Professor at the University of San Francisco intensely invested and supportive of Asian Studies and Arts. Irene was educated in the Ethnic Studies Department at San Francisco State University and remains dedicated to the culture. Irene is a creative designer for an otherwise co. and has created many events, performances, movements, and programs, in addition to branding for the local arts and specifically the Filipinx community.

Anne Lai currently serves as the Executive Director of the San Francisco Film Festival. Anne began at the Film Festival right as shelter-in-place was hitting, and was still able to connect with the community through the multiple free online offerings from the festival and the inauguration of the Film Festival Drive In, which was a big hit outdoors at Fort Mason. Previously Anne worked at The Sundance Institute during which time, she worked with over 300 screenwriters, directors, and producers helping to launch a significant and bold collection of voices and films.

Awele Makeba is dedicated to getting youth exposed to the theatrical medium and the arts in general. She is an award-winning drama teacher currently at Skyline High School in Oakland. Awele recently received an Emmy Award for her work with youth and the arts. She was the initiator of Magic's long term relationship with Laney College in Oakland, which brought the premiere Magic plays for Free to the community for many years. Awele currently serves as a collaborator and community advisor and creator for theatres throughout the country, including Oregon Shakespeare Festival at Ashland.

Dr. Angela Marino, a Ph.D., is a leading mind, and long-time Latinx culture and studies advocate at the Department of Theater Dance and Performance Studies at the University of California at Berkeley. She is the author of several works on Latinx Theatre and Culture. Angela has previously had investment and involvement with multiple Bay Area Theatre companies.

Diana Means is Director of Los Angeles Women's International Film Festival. Diana comes to Magic with her varied experiences in the arts, with community, and in finance, to give an expansive view on collaboration possibilities across mediums, sectors, and communities. Diana brings with her professional board training from the African American Board Leadership Institute.

Joan Osato is a powerhouse of creativity, with a track record of having made an impact in the performing arts for nearly three decades. She is currently the Producing Director for Campo Santo and is the Board President for National Performance Network. Joan is one of the original founders of Youth Speaks, a national organization in which she produces performances all over the country, including leading and producing their largest programs, among them: Life is Living and Brave New Voices not only locally, but nationally. She is a much lauded filmmaker, videographer, and photographer, including having designed for shows here at Magic.

Rebeka Rodriguez is the Civil Engagement manager at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and is a lecturer at Stanford University. Rebeka comes with a long and varied history of working with community groups and the arts, merging the civic and cultural experience in an organic and sustainable way. Rebeka is also a creator and produces her own festivals and events in an ongoing way. Prior to Yerba Buena, she was a core programmer at Intersection for the Arts.

John Ruskin has over 30 years of legal management and brokerage experience in commercial real estate. John's expertise crosses many sectors, as Ruskin is a longtime theatre lover, having supported Campo Santo and many others, including sitting on the board of California Shakespeare Theatre for many years.

Valerie Sainte-Agathe is the Artistic Director of the San Francisco Girls Chorus since 2013. From her motherland in the Caribbean island of Martinique, Valerie has brought that energy in leading the Girls Chorus, with a focused commitment to diversity, from the singers in the chorus, to the many amazing composers she has commissioned for the chorus. She comes with a passion, connectivity, and synergism with other musical- oriented groups. She has worked with such classical artists as Philip Glass, Kronos Quartet, and the San Francisco Symphony, among the many contemporary artists and composers, locally and globally.

This fantastic group joins the current board which includes: Karen Donovan (Treasurer), Sarah Nina Hayon, Kathryn Kersey (Board Chair), Kevin Nelson (Magic Theatre Managing Director), Jeanette Quick, Sean San José (Magic Theatre Artistic Director), Dr. Alan Stewart (Secretary), Leigh Wolf, and Katrina Wong.

This momentous expansion, more than doubling Magic's board, comes as the theatre is about to call everyone together for its massive fundraiser, which will be a huge outdoor celebration at Fort Mason. Many board members, new and old, will be present at the Magic Theatre's Gala, happening Thursday, August 5th from 6-9pm. Less a traditional gala and more of a fantastic party, tickets start at $25 and will be busting open outdoors at Fort Mason with live entertainment, food trucks and block party style, celebrating the performing arts of San Francisco! For more information on the Gala, visit magictheatre.org.

This fundraiser is essential to give support to Magic as it reopens and to celebrate safely together. Magic will be opening its season this September, with the world premiere of Joy and Pandemic from the genius playwright Taylor Mac, directed by Magic's heart and soul, former Artistic Director Loretta Greco. For more information, visit magictheatre.org.

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