Michael Fosberg did not know he was half African-American until he was 32 years old.

On Wednesday, Fosberg will perform his one-man show “Incognito” at the Union Theater. 

Fosberg grew up with his mother and stepfather for most of his life. After learning they were getting a divorce, he decided to find out who his biological father was.

“I never asked questions; my mom never told me any answers,” Fosberg said. “But when they were getting a divorce, I realized I needed to find out who my biological father was.”

After getting phone numbers of every possible candidate from a phone book collection in a Los Angeles library, he started calling.

“I was nervous,” Fosberg said. “I finally got the courage and picked up the phone and called the first name on the list. I asked him some questions and I realized I had tracked my father down on the first phone call.”

After speaking with his newly found father, Fosberg discovered some surprising information.

“He said, ‘I’m sure there’s one other thing your mother never told you. I’m African-American,’” Fosberg said. “I was raised in a white, working-class family in the suburbs of Chicago thinking I was a white guy my whole life, when in fact I’m half black.”

Several years later, Fosberg wrote a book discussing elements from his life and his discovery. About five years later, Fosberg was invited to read some of his stories to a group of people.

“I came to read some stories and people were just blown away,” Fosberg said. “They were laughing. They were crying. It just resonated with people so much and they came up after the show saying I should be doing this, and I said that I was writing a book, and they said I should be performing it. I did another reading a couple months later,  and I got the same response.”

Fosberg’s book, also called “Incognito,” was published in 2011. The early performances of his readings developed into his one-man show. In addition to performing in theaters, Fosberg also performs his show for high schools.

“I performed it for [a high school] and afterward, students were so engaged in a dialogue about identity, about how we see ourselves,” said Fosberg.

Fosberg began touring other high schools and universities across the country. He has also performed for corporations.

“His story is really a fascinating story of self-discovery,” said Terry Serio, assistant theater director for the Union Theater. “It should be an interesting evening, something that everyone can enjoy.”

Fosberg will perform at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. The show is free to students with ID.