Diversity Awareness Partnership

Meet Michael Sidney Fosberg,

Author of Incognito: An American Odyssey of Race & Self-Discovery

Michael began his performing artist career as a young student at the prestigious intensive theater training program at Northwestern University, The National High School Institute where he has returned to serve as a faculty member the past seven years. He went on to study acting, directing, and writing in Minneapolis, graduating from the University of Minnesota. While still attending school he founded the Small Change Original Theater; producing, writing, directing tours, and conducting workshops for kids of all ages throughout Minnesota, Wisconsin, North & South Dakota.

In Chicago during the ‘80’s he appeared in shows at Steppenwolf, Remains, Wisdom Bridge, and the Goodman Theatres, as well as co-founding the Huron Theater Ensemble and serving as the Artistic Director. While in Los Angeles he dabbled in television and film while continuing his work with young students as the Director of Education for the Living Library Theatre and a teacher/director for South Coast Repertory’s Young Actor’s Conservatory program. He was a guest artist at the Sundance Institute’s summer residency program, teaching educators how to utilize drama in the classrooms.

Back in Chicago in the late ‘90’s he wrote and directed much of the family entertainment at Navy Pier. He has been touring his autobiographical solo-show Incognito since 2001, first at the celebrated Sundance Institute, and following to the California African American Museum, Bailiwick Repertory Theatre, Apple Tree Theatre, Kansas City Repertory Theatre, Mercury Theatre, Illinois Theatre Center, Victory Gardens Theatre, Cape May Stage, Woodstock Fringe Festival, Black Academy of Arts & Letters, Beverly Arts Center, Monticello Opera House, Northlight Theatre, and the 16th Street Theatre.

For the past seven years he has toured to hundreds of high schools, colleges, corporations, military bases, and governmental institutions through out the country presenting his show and conducting extensive workshops. In addition he has been asked to perform his show as the Keynote Presentation for a variety of organizations; Iowa Mosaic Diversity Conference, NASA Glen Research Center, The National Training Center for the US Army at Ft. Irwin, People of Color Conference for the National Association of Independent Schools, Midwest Regional Office of the Social Security Administration, Chester County Hospital, Quest Diagnostics, Penn St. Great Valley Annual Diversity Day, Ulster County BOCES Superintendent’s Day, Shreveport Dream Week at Centenary College, Sam Houston St. University 4th Annual Diversity Leadership Conference, University of Chicago Martin Luther King Week, Florida International Diversity Conference, University of South Florida Annual Diversity Summit, Phillips Andover MLK Day Celebration, University of Kentucky Annual Diversity Day, and University of North Dakota Diversity Week.

Recently, Michael released his much anticipated memoir, “Incognito: An American Odyssey of Race & Self-Discovery” which delves more deeply into his amazing personal account of familial discovery upon which the original one-man play is based.