Marie D. De Jesús

A Harris County Juvenile Facility theatre student in full costume prepares to perform for other juveniles at the facility on Sunday, July 23, 2017, in Katy. ( Marie D. De Jesus / Houston Chronicle )

Gypsy Walker leads theatre students on a rehearsal at the Harris County Juvenile Facility on Sunday, June 17, 2018, in Katy, minutes before their formal performance to a mixed audience. ( Marie D. De Jesús / Houston Chronicle )

"Free me" is written on the shoe of one of the Harris County Juvenile Facility female juveniles on Monday, July 9, 2018, in Katy. ( Marie D. De Jesús / Houston Chronicle )

Harris County Juvenile Facility theatre students rehearse a performance before the show in front of other juveniles from the facility on Sunday, July 23, 2017, in Katy. ( Marie D. De Jesus / Houston Chronicle )

Harris County Juvenile Facility theatre student cover her face as she re-enacts a domestic violence scene on Friday, June 15, 2018, in Katy. ( Marie D. De Jesús / Houston Chronicle )

A Harris County Juvenile Facility theatre student observes a mask the play director brought for the theatre company to rehearse in on Saturday, June 16, 2018, in Katy. ( Marie D. De Jesús / Houston Chronicle )

Six Harris County Juvenile Facility female juveniles try their best to calm their nerves before performing a play for other residents serving time at the facility on Sunday, June 17, 2018, in Katy. The young women rarely perform for a mixed audience. ( Marie D. De Jes˙s / Houston Chronicle )

Gypsy Walker is all smiles as she embraces a theatre students from the Harris County Juvenile Facility on Saturday, June 16, 2018, in Katy. The student she embraced had walked out frustrated from the previous rehearsal the day before. ( Marie D. De Jesús / Houston Chronicle )

A bird flies over the Harris County Juvenile Facility fence on Monday, July 9, 2018, in Katy. ( Marie D. De Jesús / Houston Chronicle )