Photo by Bruce Douglas Adventure Theatre's "The Snowy Day" follows a young boy named Peter as he explores his city after a heavy snowfall. From left, Alan Wiggins as Peter and Lauren Dupree as Roberta.

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Photo by Bruce Douglas Based on Ezra Jack Keats' picture book, "The Snowy Day" stars Alan Wiggins as Peter, a young boy who explores his city after a snowstorm.
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Photo by Bruce Douglas Giselle LeBeau-Gant plays a Snow Pirate in Adventure Theatre's "The Snowy Day."
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Photo by Bruce Douglas Adventure Theatre's "The Snowy Day" follows a young boy named Peter as he uses his imagination while playing in the snow. From left, Calvin McCullough as Harold the Snowman and Alan Wiggins as Peter.

Photo by Bruce Douglas Adventure Theatre's "The Snowy Day" follows a young boy named Peter as he explores his city after a heavy snowfall. From left, Alan Wiggins as Peter and Lauren Dupree as Roberta.

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Ezra Jack Keats’ children’s book “The Snowy Day” tells a simple story. A young boy named Peter awakens one morning to find his home blanketed in white. He dresses and explores the city, finding ways to amuse himself by making snow angels and dodging snowball fights before returning home to his mother.

Although the book is straightforward, its debut in the early 1960s marked the first time an African-American was the central character in a children’s picture book.

A world premiere stage version of “The Snowy Day,” written by David Emerson Toney, with music and lyrics by Darius Smith, is at Adventure Theatre (AT) in Glen Echo Park through Feb. 12 as part of the organization’s ongoing African American Adventure Series. The series, which started with the debut of “Mirandy and Brother Wind” in January 2011, will feature five world premieres written by African-American writers.

Keats’ book is 28 pages in length so Toney was tasked with fleshing out the small series of events in the story. Giselle LeBeau-Gant plays multiple roles as Ma, Snow Pirate and Mother Sun in the production. Although Ma is seen toward the end of the book helping Peter out of his clothes, in the show she helps set the stage for Peter’s imagination and daydreams.

“She used to love the snow when she was a young girl and [she’s] just getting him excited about the snow and painting the picture for him so he can go out and have a great time in the snow,” LeBeau-Gant says.

The book was published 50 years ago, but LeBeau-Gant says its theme of children’s imaginations running wild in the winter is timeless.

“I have cousins who live in California,” LeBeau-Gant says. “When they came to visit me for the first time, they were just as wild and they’re older teenagers.”

Working with LeBeau is director Jessica Burgess, co-founder of the Active Cultures theater company and her own company The Inkwell, which nurtures new plays. During their first collaboration, Burgess stressed the importance of approaching a children’s story just like any other piece of theater.

“It’s not just children’s theater; it’s theater and another extension of theater and Jess has been really working with us to make it not just campy,” LeBeau-Gant says. “It’s truth.”

Burgess’ goal has been not only to capture the look of the book, but also to recreate moments from it. Burgess would regularly reference Keats’ source material during rehearsals.

“We’ve taken every event [in the book] and blown it out a little, but you see that the set is the book and everything that you’ll see on stage is taken from the book,” Burgess says.

The set mimics the bright, collage look Keats created for the book, which features solid bold colors and cutout edges.

“His aesthetic is very two-dimensional, which is wonderful,” Burgess says. “He was doing paper cut-outs; he was taking materials from his environment and placing them into the book. For example, Ma’s dress in the book is a piece of tablecloth.”

Overseeing the show’s music is AT collaborator Darius Smith, who has taught at Howard University for seven years. Although he has served as music director for past AT shows such as 2008’s “Go, Dog. Go!” this is the first time Smith has written the lyrics and music.

“His music is just so fun and inventive. His lyrics are funny and wonderful character driven and the music itself is just more fun to sing and to listen to, and really catchy,” Burgess says. “I think he and David had what seemed like a terrific collaboration.”

Smith began working on “The Snowy Day” with David Emerson Toney in late 2009. As Toney is also a full-time actor, many of the conversations took place on Internet services such as Google Chat.

Constructing the plot came first.

“That was really our first question,” Smith says. “Is Peter going to have an arch like how we would expect in traditional theater where A leads to B and B leads to C and Peter has a crisis and a realization and the show ends — or is it simpler?”

After deciding to follow the book’s lead of featuring isolated events, Smith began crafting the music. He says some of the songs immediately jumped out at him from the book, including a scene where Peter leaves his footprints in the snow.

“We kind of settled around a late ‘60s, early ‘70s type thing and my mind immediately went to some of my favorite artists from that,” Smith says. “I love Quincy Jones. I love Stevie Wonder.”

Although not necessarily a period piece, the show does have some hints of the era including a magical snowman wearing bell-bottoms and a white afro. When the costume designers came into the project, Smith says girl groups and singers such as Aretha Franklin also influenced the music because one of their dresses had some diva-infused flair.

The beginning of the show also features some scat music, which Smith says was inspired by Keats’ style.

“Just to represent some of the beautiful colors and textures, some of the artwork,” Smith says.

For Alan Wiggins, who plays Peter, the show is a return to his younger years in more ways than one. While attending Catholic University in the early 2000s, one of his dance teachers was none other than Michael J. Bobbitt, AT’s producing artistic director.

“I have always wanted the opportunity to work for him and with ‘The Snowy Day’ in particular. It’s a book that me and my sisters had growing up, and I remember loving it as a child,” Wiggins says.

Peter has adventures on his own as well as with others that show how imagination can be a powerful tool.

“The message is a lot about friendships and helping your friend get through their challenges,” Wiggins says. “It’s also about dreaming and imagining that you can be as great as you want.”

tforhecz@gazette.net

“The Snowy Day” runs through Feb. 12 at Adventure Theatre, Glen Echo Park, 7300 MacArthur Blvd. Shows begin at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28; 10:30 a.m. Jan. 24 through Jan. 27, and 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 31. Tickets are $18. Call 301-634-2270 or visit www.adventuretheatre.org.