nYaki Yim Bamboo is a new musical for children based on the successful play The Island of Yaki Yim Bamboo, which has played in numerous organizations and theatres including the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, the United Nations International School, Creative Theatre, and the St. Louis Black Repertory Company.  Now playing at the 13th Street Repertory Theatre, the interactive musical introduces kids to Caribbean culture and questions what it means to grow up.  We spoke with director Alex Acevedo about the project.

Yaki Yim Bamboo has been staged before, but this is the first time it's been staged as a musical! What were some of the challenges the creative team faced in mounting, what is essentially, a new show?

The thing you get with a new musical score is an endless amount of options. Options create great potential but there is also a pressure to make the right combination of choices. We explored key changes, tempo adjustments, adding harmonies, repeating measures and more. Every option directly affects the mood of the play, the arc of the story and the actors' ability to perform the material. Fortunately our writer (Fred Rohan-Vargas), composer (Jay Griggs) and lyricist (June Rachelson-Ospa) were very open to adjustments through out the rehearsal process. The cast of actors were also encouraged to fully contribute to the show's development. Any questions or ideas were investigated and often found their way into the final show. Our arranger and music director (Noriko Sunamoto) would be making constant adjustments with us, like a musical theatre mad scientist genius, until everything felt just right. We created a true community of artist and the final product certainly reflects that.

The show was originally written for three actors. Why was it decided to add two more to the cast for this musical version?

A number of reasons both artistically and practically. Artistically, Jay and June created beautiful music that benefited from additional voices. It created a true musical theater ensemble and even more potential for harmony and vocal layers. From a directorial standpoint the additional actors add potential for movement and interactions that amplify the sense of community in the Caribbean. From a practical point of view, there is a lot of audience participation and additional actors help to bring the audience in and out of the story with out having to slow down the storytelling.

Yaki Yim Bamboo is a magical island for kids, but what aspects of the show can attract adults?

Certainty, every parent/guardian/chaperon can find value in watching their young ones experience a piece of theater crated specifically for them. We get so many kids coming in for their first live theater experience.

Even beyond that, the major themes of the show are very relatable. They remind us that even though we have to grow up we never have to abandon our childlike sense of joy and imagination. We've staged the play in a way that requires the audience to enter their imagination. Using a variety or bamboo sticks and painted crates we've created boats, islands, monsters and hurricanes. It's wonderful to watch people of all ages join us on this adventure of the imagination.

There are moments in the show where children are not only asked to verbally participate, but are given the opportunity to come onstage and truly play with the actors. How does this translate to the kids of the audience? Further, what were/are some of the challenges that come along with audience members participating?

The kids respond wonderfully to it! The potential to affect the play and leave their mark on the day is not missed. From the moment they are told we need their help, there is pulse and energy in the audience that says "anything can happen". Of course the "anything can happen" directly affects our ability to rehearse those moments. Everything involving audience participation was loosely staged knowing that these moments can and will be different with each performance. It created a similar pulse and energy among the actors. At a recent performance we had a little girl run on stage and start dancing during a song that was not intended for audience participation. It was incredibly charming but definitely threw us for a loop.

Do you relate to any of the characters of Yaki Yim Bamboo? Or to the story itself? Do you think others can easily relate to it as well?

I think we can all relate to the character of Bobotwee and his reluctance to grow up. It would be wonderful to say that the only major life adjustment happens from childhood to adulthood but that just isn't true. We never stop growing and life constantly throws changes at us. Moving on to the next stage of life doesn't mean abandoning who we are on the inside, though. If you look closely enough, we are all still the same little boy or girl we have always been. The play reminds children of ALL ages to remain true to themselves while celebrating life and it's many stages. We cherish the ability to spread this message with every performance.