Bio
Adam Kern is a writer, actor, producer, and director working across film, theatre, and immersive storytelling. He is the Director and Co-Creator of Shadow of the Run Chapter 1: WanderLust, Cleveland’s first full-scale immersive theatre production, inspired by the Eliot Ness investigation into the Cleveland Torso Murders. Adam develops original, site-responsive narratives that blend historical research, audience agency, and immersive design.
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As a writer, Adam creates character-driven work that explores intimacy, memory, and queer identity through both live and filmed forms. He is the co-creator and writer of An Awfully Big Adventure: a wake in Neverland, an immersive theatrical experience examining grief, legacy, and chosen family through the lens of Peter Pan mythology. He is also the co-writer and producer of Only Bears, a short-form queer romantic comedy inspired by real events, currently in development as both a standalone short film and a larger episodic world.
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Adam’s producing and directing work includes over twenty readings, multiple workshops, benefits, and five full productions. His credits include work with Cleveland Play House, the 5th Avenue Theatre Gala, The Water Dream (starring Anthony Rapp and J. Robert Spencer), and Liz Femi’s Take Me to the Poorhouse, a 2014 NAACP Theatre Award nominee. He has also served as an Artistic Virtual Programs Manager, overseeing large-scale digital programming and new-work initiatives.
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As a performer, Adam’s film and television credits include I See You (opposite Helen Hunt), Inheritance, One Dollar (CBS), StartUp, Triumphs’ Election Special (Hulu), and Onion SportsDome (Comedy Central). His theatre work spans classical, contemporary, and immersive productions, with performances at the Moscow Art Theatre, the Old Vic through the TS Eliot Fellowship, the American Repertory Theatre, the Classical Theatre of Harlem, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
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Adam holds an MFA from the American Repertory Theatre / Moscow Art Theatre Institute at Harvard University and a BFA from Kent State University. Across disciplines, his work centers queer storytelling, collaborative authorship, and immersive experiences that invite audiences to step inside emotionally complex worlds.
Credentials
MTA - American Repertory Theatre - Moscow Art Theatre Institute at Harvard *
TS Eliot Fellow – Old Vic, London
BFA - Theatre - Kent State University
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*This program was originally advertised as a fully accredited MFA program, which unfortunately was not true. While the education was on par with the degree, the paperwork and accreditation was not.
The rest of the story
I grew up as a mixed race brown kid, adopted by awesome parents in Northeast Ohio with dreams of being in scifi and fantasy movies. In 2019 I married my best friend, Jeff, and now we have a puppy named Skye! We'll be moving back to Los Angeles in 2025 where Adam is planning multiple theatre projects to get his name back out there! More to follow!
