The Dao of Thao

The former Artistic Director for the Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center (APICC) of San Francisco, performer Thao Nguyen has been a fixture of the Bay Area theater scene. Her first one-person comedy, Fortunate Daughter, was named one of the Top 10 Bay Area Plays of 2013 by KQED. It was originally directed by comedian W. Kamau Bell, who helped her develop it as her instructor and awarded her the coveted “W. Kamau Bell Solo Performance Black Belt.”

Bell also executive produced the CAAM-funded documentary, The Dao of Thao, which follows Nguyen as she prepares her latest comedy show, exploring her Asian American queer identity and new motherhood. Woven through are interviews with her Vietnamese American immigrant parents about their journey from a refugee camp in Thailand to America, shaping who she is today.

This film was supported by CAAM’s Doc Fund with funding provided by CPB.