About the Show
“I Came with a Check” is the story of a man whose life is shaped by miracles long before barely surviving a hit-and-run accident on May 5, 2025. The six weeks he spends at Cedars-Sinai inspire his performing arts community to push him into creating a one-man show. He was born bi-racial, in 1963 and given up at birth by his 17-year-old White mother. He was then fostered by James and Mary Meeks, who chose to take in one more child despite already struggling to feed their three. Before graduating The High School for the Performing Arts, and a hilarious encounter where Gina Belafonte accuses him of being her father’s illegitimate son. This journey weaves through love, loss, hope, foster care, dyslexia, Hollywood, LGBT identity, the HIV/AIDS crisis, and the discovery of biological family. Ultimately, it is a story about finding out who you truly are and what HOME means—who creates it, and how you carry it.
Written and Performed by John Meeks
Directed by Juliette Jeffers
