Each season, diverse teens from Cleveland and Roosevelt High Schools audition to be part of Rough Eagles, one of our most popular American Cycle programs. (The project name is a combination of the two school mascots, the Roosevelt Rough Riders and the Cleveland Eagles.) Over the course of many months, the Rough Eagles work with professional teaching artists to create an original play, inspired by the themes of the American Cycle story, which they then perform on the Intiman stage and for their peers in the schools. The students participate in a summer intensive, during which they begin to break down barriers and create bridges between their unique experiences through theatrical exercises and by attending performances at different companies around the city. In the fall, they come together again to develop, write and rehearse their own play. The voices of these exceptional young people — in the plays and in post-show discussions — has been a powerful draw for families, educators and members of the public to be made aware of their passions, hopes and insights about issues that they face in their own lives and that we confront in our community. Rough Eagles uses the arts as a tool to communicate through barriers, build bridges between what can seem like two different worlds, and explore the shared visions, aspirations and hopes of the participating students.