COEUR d’ALENE — Before they take a bow, six young ladies will be standing up for social justice.

Through the production of "Girl, Awake!", which opens at Lake City Playhouse this evening, the members of the all-female cast will use their voices to shed light on issues such as child abuse and imprisonment, refugees, food insecurity, literacy, child marriage and bullying.

"I got involved because I was interested in talking about social injustice," said Kimberly Hunt, 15, of Rathdrum, who plays "Latana." "My mom is a foster parent and I have experienced children coming in and out of foster care. In the show we talk about child abuse so I got really interested in that."

"Girl, Awake!" is in its third season. Playwright and director Brook Bassett said while this 2-hour-long show focuses on issues that specifically affect girls, it also discusses topics that affect everyone. The production aims to help people understand that big change begins with small change and every individual can contribute to making things better.

"In a world where there's so much that can be improved upon, it can be overwhelming to know where to begin and how to make a tangible difference," Bassett said. "If one person does one small act, and then we all do it, it becomes a bigger act."

The girls in the show range in age from 11 to 16.

"Young people in general have such a strong voice," Bassett said. "Things are much more powerful coming from them in a lot of ways."

Elissa Corless, 16, plays "Dahlia." She said she wanted to get involved because she saw the show last year and "felt the message was really important and I wanted to share it."

"I really feel that knowledge is power, and education is really important," she said.

"Girl, Awake!" opens at 7 p.m. with another showing at LCP Saturday at 7 p.m. Direct Relief, a humanitarian medical aid nonprofit, will receive 60 percent of ticket sales and the remaining 40 percent will go to the Girl Awake! Project to continue to empower girls and educate the public.

Raffle sales at intermission will go to One Church One Child, a nonprofit dedicated to finding adoptive homes and foster homes for children in need.

Tickets are $12 and available at www.girlawake.com and at www.brownpapertickets.com.