DNA test leads Toronto performer to 35 half-siblings
A DNA test bought on sale led to a discovery that would change one Toronto performer’s understanding of his family and eventually inspire a musical.
At 31, Noam Tomaschoff learned that the man he had grown up calling his father was not his biological father and that he had been conceived using a sperm donor. But that was only the beginning of the surprises.
After taking a consumer DNA test, Tomaschoff discovered he had at least 35 half-siblings around the world, a revelation that has since become the inspiration for Our Little Secret: A True New Musical.
Speaking on CTV’s Your Morning on Wednesday, Tomaschoff said the decision to take the test was not driven by any particular suspicion.
“Absolutely nothing other than the fact that it was on sale.”
A family secret comes to light
Tomaschoff said his parents initially questioned why he wanted to take the test. Realizing they would have to explain the circumstances of his birth before the results arrived, they decided to tell him the truth.
“They sat me down together, and we were on the table, and we all held hands, and this is when I knew something was wrong,” he recalled.
The conversation was an emotional surprise, particularly because his parents had never intended to reveal the secret, Tomaschoff added.
He said his immediate reaction was one of complete disbelief.
“The reaction was total surprise. I was shocked,” he said.
Tomaschoff said his parents had followed the general clinical guidance of the time, which encouraged some families not to disclose donor conception to their children. They were also concerned about preserving his sense of connection to them and the family.
A family secret comes to light
Tomaschoff said his parents initially questioned why he wanted to take the test. Realizing they would have to explain the circumstances of his birth before the results arrived, they decided to tell him the truth.
“They sat me down together, and we were on the table, and we all held hands, and this is when I knew something was wrong,” he recalled.
The conversation was an emotional surprise, particularly because his parents had never intended to reveal the secret, Tomaschoff added.
He said his immediate reaction was one of complete disbelief.
“The reaction was total surprise. I was shocked,” he said.
Tomaschoff said his parents had followed the general clinical guidance of the time, which encouraged some families not to disclose donor conception to their children. They were also concerned about preserving his sense of connection to them and the family.
“My first instinct, once I could gather the words, was to tell my friends about it,” he said.
From 35 siblings to the stage
The DNA results initially connected Tomaschoff with 15 close relatives. That number eventually grew as he found more siblings through other platforms.
Although he has not connected with all of them, many are part of a Facebook group, and one lives close enough that they regularly spend time together.
For someone who grew up as an only child, discovering such a large extended family was an unexpected turn.
The revelation left Tomaschoff with a story he felt compelled to share, even if he wasn’t initially sure how to tell it.
“I need to tell somebody. I need to tell this story.”
He eventually began discussing the idea with two of his high school friends, Ryan Peters and Russell Citron, who would become his collaborators on the project.
Rather than simply recounting the experience on stage, the trio decided to turn it into something more theatrical.
“This should be a musical,” Citron told Tomaschoff.
The idea made sense for the longtime friends, who shared a love of musicals and a history of singing together. Their unusual story would eventually become Our Little Secret, A True New Musical.
An opportunity to perform at the Toronto Fringe Festival, secured through a lottery in 2023, gave them a deadline to bring the production to life.
They secured a spot through the festival’s lottery. What had started as conversations between three longtime friends was now something they had to write, develop and bring to the stage.
Our Little Secret: A True New Musical runs from Nov. 3 to 22 at Toronto’s CAA Theatre.
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