A Toronto Actor Bought a DNA Test Only Because It Was on Sale, Then Learned at 31 He Was Donor-Conceived and Has at Least 35 Half-Siblings
The only reason Noam Tomaschoff ordered a consumer DNA test was that it was on sale. “Absolutely nothing other than the fact that it was on sale,” the Toronto performer told the Canadian Press, as reported by CP24. The results told him, at 31, that the man he had grown up calling his father was not his biological father, and that he has at least 35 half-siblings around the world.
Tomaschoff has since turned the discovery into a one-man musical, which opened its Toronto run on Nov. 3 and continues through Nov. 22.
A Sale Price and 15 Close Relatives
According to CP24, the first results connected Tomaschoff with 15 close relatives. The number of known half-siblings grew as he found more of them through other platforms. He has not connected with all of them. Many are in a Facebook group, and one lives nearby and spends time with him regularly.
He had grown up as an only child. Tomaschoff described his reaction to the Canadian Press as total surprise and shock, and said his first instinct was to tell his friends.
A separate profile on Narcity adds detail about how the test came about. It reports that a woman he was dating, now his fiancée, told him about DNA test kits, and that he ordered one on a whim. Narcity places the discovery in the summer of 2022 and reports that his parents had kept the secret for 31 years. They had turned to a sperm donor because they could not conceive naturally. The donor died before Tomaschoff learned he had half-siblings, Narcity reports, though he has grown close to some of them.
Why His Parents Never Told Him
CP24 reports that his parents first questioned why he wanted the test. Once they realized the results would reveal his origins, they told him the truth. They sat him down and held hands with him, and the article says they had never intended to reveal the secret.
The Canadian Press account says his parents followed the general clinical guidance of the time, which encouraged some families not to disclose donor conception. They also wanted to protect his sense of connection to the family. A photo caption names his father as Gideon; his mother is not named in the report.
Narcity reports that the relationship has continued in an unusual way. Tomaschoff’s parents review each revision of the script, and he described the process as reaching consensus on every new version.
From a Fringe Lottery Slot to the Off-Mirvish Stage
The musical is called Our Little Secret: A True New Musical. CP24 reports that Tomaschoff wrote it with two high school friends, Ryan Peters and Russell Citron, and that Citron suggested turning the story into a show. They secured a slot at the Toronto Fringe Festival through a lottery in 2023, which gave them a deadline to develop it.
Narcity says the early version was titled The 23andMe Musical and won the Patron’s Pick and Best of Fringe awards at the 2023 festival. It reports that early feedback said the script lacked emotional and vulnerable moments, so the show was reworked to balance its joyful and difficult sides.
The production’s Mirvish press release lists later honors: a 2024 Edinburgh Fringe Chrisparkle Award for Best Performance in a Musical for Tomaschoff, and five BroadwayWorld Awards for a 2025 production at Montreal’s Segal Centre, including Best New Musical. The Toronto engagement opens the 2026-27 Off-Mirvish season.
Adam Pascal, known for Rent, directs both the Toronto production and the Edmonton run that preceded it, Playbill reported. Citron, who produces, also co-produced Broadway’s Operation Mincemeat, according to the same report.
What the Toronto Run Looks Like
The Mirvish listing describes the show as a comedy-drama that deals with loss, fertility struggles and family secrets. Tomaschoff wrote the book and is the only performer, with music by Ryan Peters, musical direction by Nick Burgess and direction by Pascal. It runs 85 minutes with no intermission and is advised for ages 12 and up because of theatrical haze and flashing lights. The venue is the CAA Theatre at 651 Yonge St.
A Stage Door preview of the season gives the performance schedule as Tuesday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday at 1:30 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets went on sale July 10 at mirvish.com.
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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
Image: Geo Swan from Toronto, Canada – CC0/Wikimedia Commons
