Find your voice in this feathery adventure.

Adapted from the books by Kwame Alexander

By Kwame Alexander and Mary Rand Hess

Music by Randy Preston

Directed by Lili-Anne Brown

New York Times best-selling author KWAME ALEXANDER brings two of his beloved children’s books—Acoustic Rooster and Indigo Blume—to the stage in a world premiere Kennedy Center commission. Alexander teams up with his writing partner MARY RAND HESS and long-time musical collaborator RANDY PRESTON to tell a story about being scared, being brave, and believing in yourself. With special guests like Duck Ellington and Ms. Dairy Parton—plus Preston appearing as Acoustic Rooster—this musical adaptation will have children (and families) dancing in their seats.

Dive into a book to keep the fun going: Kwame’s NEW picture book of the same name is based on our musical!

Most enjoyed by 5+

Please note: This performance contains haze effects.

What to Expect

This 70-minute musical features many different kinds of music. 

• The main character in this story is Indigo Blume. Indigo and her friends have worked hard to clean up their community and are planning a festival! The night before the festival, Indigo falls asleep and has a fantastic dream.
• Many actors play multiple characters. All of the animals in the story are played by people. To become different characters, the actors change their costumes, voices, and movements. Acoustic Rooster shouts “cock-a-doodle do!” often!
• The performance can sometimes be loud. Before Indigo falls asleep, there is a thunderstorm and the thunder rumbles all around the theater. And when Indigo meets her new friends at the farm, a “hurri-train” hits! The hurri-train makes many loud sounds like a storm and frightens Indigo and her friends.
• The characters sometimes have strong feelings. They communicate their feelings through the way they talk and sing, and by what they do. When Indigo thinks about singing at the festival, she gets nervous and starts to panic and shout!
• There is a TV in the theater lobby where you can watch the show if you need to take a break.

Download the Performance Guide

Check out the performance guide to learn more about the music, instruments, and characters!

Book Signing with Jacqueline Woodson

Saturday, May 21 from 2:30–3:45 p.m., Jacqueline Woodson will be signing books in the Hall of States, right outside the Family Theater.

Visit the Moonshot Studio for a 
Show Way-inspired takeover!

Get creative with hands-on arts projects inspired by Jacqueline Woodson’s Show Way. Open Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Learn more.