At the age of 16 Jaymi Edwards was told he was going to jail.

The Southampton boy had been caught robbing people in his parish and he was charged with stealing $2,500 in cash, a Sony PlayStation 3 and credit cards from a home on Lighthouse Road, along with some friends.

Jaymi pleaded guilty at his first court appearance and told Magistrate Archibald Warner: "I just want to apologise to everyone for wasting your time — sorry for what I did."

He was not represented by a lawyer at the hearing in 2008 and was described as "known to the courts" by a prosecution lawyer, meaning this was not his first brush with the law. He was sent to the Co-educational Facility.

But tomorrow night Jaymi, now 18, will step on to the stage of the Ruth Seaton James Centre for the Performing Arts and present a different face — that of an aspiring young actor. He will play one of the lead roles in fellow inmate Lillian Ramphele's play 'Where are you Dad?'

Since he was locked up Jaymi has completed his General Certificate of Education, graduating earlier this year. He is also taking part in the prestigious Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, where he is working towards the Bronze Medal. As part of that scheme he must do community service.

"I have been doing motivational speaking," he told The Royal Gazette when this paper visited the Co-ed facility. "I have been going to schools and talking to the kids.

"It is helping them and me. I am trying to teach them not to end up where I am. I tell them what it is like here and what I have faced."

He admits it is has been hard being without his family and friends for the last 18 months and hopes to be granted parole in October.

Tomorrow night he is looking forward to performing in front of his family and many of his friends.

"I love acting. Lili approached me and asked me if I wanted to be a part of it and I got some of the other guys to get involved too.

"It is powerful stuff," he said speaking of the play. "It is touching. It deals very much with what's happening right now in Bermuda, the violence."

He said it described some of the pain young men on the Island are feeling. While he said he was close with both his parents he said he could relate to certain situations in the play when it came to families.

"At the time I was doing stuff on the street," he said of his life before Co-ed. "I can relate to some of that stuff."

Other members of the Co-ed who are in the play are Kyree Burch, Troy Hewey, Curtis Hawksworth and Keino Lambert.