In her autobiographical play “The Good Adoptee,” playwright Suzanne Bachner takes the audience through the emotional and often frustrating process of searching for her birth parents.
A pair of performances of “The Good Adoptee” this weekend will benefit ‘r Kids Family Center, which provides programs and services to vulnerable children and their parents or guardians.
The organization got its start in 1996 as a grassroots group, according to Randi Rubin Rodriguez, co-founder of the ‘r Kids Family Center and its executive director.
“We were very fortunate in 1998, to receive $3,500 in seed money from the Community Foundation of Greater New Haven,” Rubin Rodriguez said. “And that was the very beginning of us publicly fundraising, and we built a brand new building on Dixwell Avenue.”
The organization has grown since then.
“Two years ago, we completed a $4.2 million capital campaign during COVID and expanded our facility from a single story building to a three story building, from 4,300 square feet to 15,000 square feet. So we have this beautiful new wing for adoption services.”
‘r Kids Family Center is hoping this weekend’s performances of “The Good Adoptee” will raise enough money to expand their adoptive services.
“This fundraiser is specifically designed to raise money so that we can bring on, ideally, a full-time adoption specialist, rather than using our staff whenever they become available,” Rubin Rodriguez said.
“The Good Adoptee” won awards for “Best Autobiographical Script” and “Best Actress” when the play premiered in the United Solo Theatre Festival in New York City. It was also named a “Best Play” by Indie Theater Now.
