FOR BO: PLAY INSPIRED BY THE MURDER OF BOTHAM JEAN BY OFFICER AMBER GUYGER Premieres At Texas Christian University In Late April

A play inspired by the recent murder of Botham Jean by police officer Amber Guyger premieres at TCU in late AprilWHO: Theatre TCU, The #ForBoInitiative and The Botham Jean Foundation present For Bo: A Play Inspired by the Murder of Botham Jean by Officer Amber Guyger.

Through a fictional narrative, the new original play For Bo explores the issues that led to Botham Jean's death in 2018 at the hands of Dallas police officer Amber Guyger. For Bo, which debuted as a staged reading on the TCU campus in February 2020, is written by Theatre TCU faculty member Ayvaunn Penn. She was inspired to write For Bo while closely following media coverage of the aftermath of Jean's death, including watching the murder trial of Amber Guyger unfold in real time.

Performances of For Bo will be presented virtually via online streaming across two weekends. The play is co-directed by Penn and senior theatre and writing double major Ashley Parks. Theatre TCU students provided designs and vocal talent that bring to life illustrations created by members of the TCU and other communities. Community illustrators include artists from Dallas-Fort Worth and beyond ranging from middle school to professional. Additional illustrations were created by students at Botham Jean's alma mater Harding University in Arkansas, Fort Worth's Young Women's Leadership Academy, Austin College in Sherman, Texas, Pratt Institute in New York and more.

Following the April 29 performance, Penn will be joined by intercultural and interdisciplinary professionals as well as special guests Allison Jean and Allisa Findley, Jean's mother and sister, in a virtual community panel* to facilitate conversations of cross-cultural understanding.

The #ForBoInitiative, founded by Penn, strives to promote the use of the arts as a catalyst for positive social change. The initiative provides arts organizations and institutions with guidance and tools to host their own productions or readings of For Bo paired with community discussions to eradicate racial bias, racial injustice and police brutality.

Notably, Penn's For Bo was named a finalist in the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center's 2020 National Playwrights Conference-the country's premiere program for new play development-which has served as a launchpad for renowned dramatists such as Tony Award Winner Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton), Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize Winner August Wilson (Fences, The Piano Lesson) and Golden Globe Winner Regina Taylor (Crowns), among many others. Additionally, last year's staged reading and community discussion of For Bo was highlighted in TCU's 2020 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award presented by INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine.

For more information, visit theatre.tcu.edu.

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