They walk into the chapel single file, tallest to shortest, hands clasped behind their backs. They wear identical white sneakers, sweatpants, and gray sweatshirts with big letters: “JTDC.” Jamel is last in line, but despite his stature looks more mature than most of the fifteen to seventeen-year olds in front of him. He is light-skinned, with a pencil moustache and close-cropped hair. It’s his first night with Storycatchers Theatre at the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center, and he’s clear about his boundaries:

“I don’t sing and I don’t act. I’m going to be the director.”

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Cheryl Coons

serves on the National Council of the Dramatists Guild. Her original musicals include River’s End (ASCAP Foundation Harold Arlen Musical Theater Award, Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Award), At Wit’s End (Carbonell Award), Sylvia’s Real Good Advice (Joseph Jefferson Award), and Phantom of the Country Opera, published by MTI.