Donja R. Love’s play soft starts with the hard clank of prison bars shutting. The show is set in a youth correctional facility, and it centers on Mr. Isaiah, the boys’ English teacher. His students are of all types, some of them honest about their crimes while others claim innocence. One refuses to speak at all. Forging bonds in a place designed to withhold compassion, Isaiah attempts to instill hope in his students, and to keep their hearts from hardening. Directed by Whitney White. —Jensen Davis