as was common at that time, riley and his friends had few toys, and amused themselves with activities. with his mother's help, riley began creating plays and theatricals, which he and his friends would practice and perform in the back of a local grocery store. as he grew older, the boys named their troupe the adelphians and began to hold their shows in barns where they could fit larger audiences. riley wrote of these early performances in his poem "when we first played 'show", referring to himself as "jamesy".