The Adoption Game
WHO GETS TO TELL THE STORY?
The Adoption Game turns transracial adoption into a darkly funny, live game show written and performed by transracial adoptee Andrew Watring, and directed by Gabe Moses, invites audiences to play along—and reconsider who gets to control the stories we tell about family.
Upstream Performance Collaborative presents the world premiere of The Adoption Game, a darkly funny, deeply personal, interactive solo performance written and performed by Philadelphia theatre artist and transracial adoptee Andrew Watring. Presented through Cannonball’s Immersive Track Cohort as part of the 2026 Philadelphia Fringe Festival, the production runs for just three performances, September 25–27, 2026, at Asian Arts Initiative’s Black Box Theater.
Billed as “America’s one-and-only adoption-themed game show,” The Adoption Game transforms the theatre into a live studio audience. Under the watchful eye of dazzling host Andre Devon, spectators encounter applause signs, prizes, audience games, commercial breaks, and all the polished machinery of televised entertainment. Beneath the spectacle is a more vulnerable question: What happens when the child at the center of an adoption story finally gets to control the narrative?
