Omaha theater company gets grant for play [Video]

“The Rising Voices Project,” a play that focuses on the impact of the criminal justice system on women, recently got a $10,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Anastasis Theatre Co. in Omaha is behind the production. The company’s producing artistic director, Haley Haas, said she and her colleagues are excited to lift the voices of such women.

“It’s our first play focusing on the challenges women face (in the system),” she said. “We have begun building community and gathering stories, and I am so grateful this community is willing to share their lived experiences and create a play that will challenge assumptions and connect the wider community to the people behind the headlines.”

Performances of “The Rising Voices Project” are slated for fall of this year. Partners in the effort include RISE, a nonprofit that helps prepare inmates for life after prison, and Compassion in Action, a …