KENNESAW, Ga. | Mar 30, 2026

Kennesaw State University students are using theatre to help incarcerated persons prepare for life after prison, while gaining a better understanding of the population they will serve in their future careers.

The initiative is part of the New Connections Project, a partnership between KSU and Common Good Atlanta, a not-for-profit organization that provides higher education for people who are or have been incarcerated. Funded by a $90,000 grant from the Department of Justice, the program pairs KSU criminal justice and theatre students with learners at the Atlanta Transitional Center, a correctional facility for persons who will soon be released.

Co-director of the project, Tanja Link, professor of sociology and criminal justice in the Norman J. Radow College of Humanities and Social Sciences, said one of the goals of the project is to help students move beyond one-sided narratives about crime and punishment.

“We’re learning together,” Link said. “Everybody is vulnerable and everybody is there to discover something they didn’t know before. Students realize, ‘I could be on the other side if my parents didn’t have money or if my education was different.’ And those light bulbs go off because of empathy – something you cannot learn solely in the classroom.”

The course connects KSU students with incarcerated students inside the facility who are enrolled in the Clemente Course in the Humanities, a nationally recognized curriculum that offers college credit for incarcerated individuals through Bard College. Students at the facility earn six college credits by completing five subjects: critical thinking and writing, literature, American history, art history, and philosophy. All classes are taught by college professors, including some from KSU.

This semester, KSU and Common Good Atlanta students take a theatre class led by Margaret Pendergrass, professor of theatre and performance studies in the Robert S. Geer Family College of the Arts, and will work together to create a live production of “Our Town,” a three-act play written by American playwright Thornton Wilder in 1938 that explores community, belonging, and the meaning of everyday life.

“We found that bringing our Kennesaw students in to work with the incarcerated students became just a wonderful way to enhance the learning for everyone,” said Pendergrass, a co-director of the New Connections Project.

Before entering the facility, KSU students learn about incarceration, prison education, and the ethics of working in that environment. They must also complete a formal approval process through the Georgia Department of Corrections.

“The theatre class is a real confidence builder for people who have been within the carceral system for many years,” Pendergrass said. “It's not a place known for teamwork. It's sort of everybody for themselves, so learning to trust others again is hard. But it’s something that we've seen again and again in these classes. You can see people start to open up and be willing to be vulnerable.”

The experience also gives KSU students a real-world opportunity to engage directly with people affected by the criminal justice system and can put a face to the policies or statistics they are studying in class.

“We want our students to step into their careers able to interact without bias, to understand structural inequalities, and to recognize that people’s paths are shaped by trauma and real obstacles and not just a simple failure to try,” Link said. “And for our incarcerated learners, we want them to feel hope, to know they are supported, and to build the communication and critical thinking skills that make sustainable reentry possible.”

– Story by Christin Senior

Photos by Matt Yung

A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees to its more than 51,000 students. Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia with 11 academic colleges. The university's vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties, and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the country and the world. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 8 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.