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For Gina Prince-Bythewood and Reggie Rock Bythewood, making the TV series, "Shots Fired," is directly tied to being parents of black teenage boys growing up in America.

The 10-part event series begins with a familiar headline that has a twist: A police officer fatally shoots an unarmed teenager; but contrary to many real life shootings, the cop in the show is African American, and the young victim is white. The show goes on to also include a second murder. That one is of a black teen and there's a mystery as to the identity of his killer.

The Bythewoods are the creators and show-runners of the series, which airs on Wednesday nights. They tell The Frame's John Horn thatthe seed of the idea goes back to a moment in July of 2013. Reggie says that he and their older son, who was 12 years old at the time, were watching the George Zimmerman verdict:

"When George Zimmerman was found not guilty of second degree murder of Trayvon Martin, our kid was blown away and got pretty emotional. And instead of hugging and consoling him and assuring him everything was going to be okay, I opened up my laptop and pulled up this Emmett Till documentary on YouTube. I thought it was time for my son to understand certain things about how the criminal justice system has worked in this country, and how the criminal justice system has not worked."

Bythewood goes on to say that a couple of things came from that experience: one, their older son would go on to write a short story about how Trayvon Martin meets Emmett Till in heaven; two, Reggie and Gina began the process of addressing the issues of race and the relationship between people of color and law enforcement through their art. So when the opportunity came to make a show with Fox, they leapt at the chance.

Gina tells The Frame that one reason they began the series with a police shooting that doesn't follow the usual narrative was also a reaction to the Zimmerman case:

"One of the things that struck is is the fact that you started hearing about people sending George Zimmerman money to help him with his legal fees, as if he was a victim. And people were not seeing Trayvon as a kid. They were not seeing his humanity. And that hurt us."

She says that in flipping the narrative to have a black officer shoot an unarmed white teen, they could promote empathy: "Once you start to empathize, you can then hopefully look and see when it happens to somebody else, you now understand what they're feeling. Once you can do that you can hopefully start to fight to change things."

"Shots Fired" airs at 8 pm Wednesdays on Fox. All episodes are available On Demand, on Hulu, and Fox Now.

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How the George Zimmerman verdict catalyzed the Fox series, 'Shots Fired' - 89.3 KPCC

THE TRIAL OF TRAYVON MARTIN

Subversive Theatre Collective

Buffalo playwright Gary Earl Ross is fascinated with that place where American jurisprudence meets race. In Matter of Intent, he created Temple Scott, a Kennedy era African American woman, who is a Perry Mason style attorney, determined to exonerate her client. In Mark of Cain, he used the real 1925 case in which Clarence Darrow defended an African American man who used a gun to defend his home from a hostile mob.

The title of his new play might seem to tell it all: The Trial of Trayvon Martin. But let us recall, it was George Zimmerman who went on trial. African American Trayvon Martin was shot to death and Caucasian Zimmerman was acquitted by a Florida law that supported his right to stand hisground. In this courtroom drama, Ross challenges us by imagining, What if it was George Zimmerman who had died on that fateful night in 2012? The production, directed by Kurt Schneiderman, features Shawnell Tillery, Brian Brown, Rick Lattimer, Lawrence Rowswell, Leon Copeland, Jr., Kunji Rey, Brittany Bassett, VerNia Garvin, and Michael Mottern, and begins performances on April 6th.

Road Less Traveled Theater

In a theater season that will also feature the Irish Classical Theatre production of Noel Cowards Hay Fever, about the remarkable and theatrical Bliss family, Road Less Traveled offers us another love letter to theater families, Donald Marguliess The Country House. Set among the famous and aspiring at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, the play chronicles what happens when the easy availability of emotion ignites the jealousies and passions of show folk. Scott Behrend, who served as assistant director for the Los Angeles production that starred Blythe Danner, takes the helm as director at his own theater. The Country House stars Christian Brandjes, Kristen Tripp-Kelley, Chris Kelly, Peter Palmisano, Barbara Link Larou, and Renee Landrigan. Performances will begin on April 28th.

Jewish Repertory Theatre of WNY

The Jewish Repertory Theatre of WNY continues its season dedicated to the work of Amy Herzog with The Great God Pan. Jamie is a man living the American Dream with his perfect Brooklyn family. That is, until a childhood friends pays a visit. Has Jamie repressed a horrific childhood experience? Directed by Saul Elkin, the production features Kelly Beuth, Jordan Louis Fischer, Darleen Pickering Hummert, Amelia Scinta, Steve Vaughan, Lisa Vitrano, and Adam Yellen. Performances begin on April 27th at the Maxine and Robert Seller Theatre, at the Jewish Community Center at 2640 North Forest Road in Getzville.

Alleyway Theatre

Neal Radice, founder of Alleyway Theatre, has penned prolific output of plays. His scripts include Night Work, a play plumbed from his family history about a World War I era court case involving the rights of women to work without restrictions; Minimum Habitat, an evening of vignettes, from birth to death, all set in bed; and his every popular adaptation of Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol. His musicals are also numerous, including versions of Gilgamesh, Beowulf, and Peer Gynt, and retellings of the local histories of The Ghost of Fort Niagara, and Over the Falls, the story of Annie Edson Taylor; the first person to plunge over Niagara Falls and survive.

Now, with Im Fine, Radice turns his attention to Mike, a middle-aged man who finds that a sense of humor is necessary as he treads the path of being a widower, from grief, to finances, to dealing with family, regret, his career, cooking, loneliness, the absurdity of online dating, and inevitably, sex. The cast features Ray Boucher, Emily Yancy, Joyce Stilson, and James Cichocki. The production opens on April 20th.

MusicalFare

This musical by Colin Escott & Floyd Mutrux, takes us back to Sun Record Studios in Memphis Tennessee, on one historic night in 1956 when Elvis Presley, Jery Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash took part in an impromptu jam session. Directed by Randall Kramer, the production features Brandon Barry, Steve Copps, Jeffrey Coyle, Arianne Davidow, Joseph Donohue III, Brian McMahon, Andrew J. Reimers, and Dave Siegfried. Performances start on April 19th at MusicalFare in Snyder.

Irish Classical Theatre Company

In the 1960s, playwrights like Noel Coward, Somerset Maugham, and Terence Rattigan were considered to be entirely pass. Their reputations were dead. Their plays were out of print. It was the age of the Angry Young Men. Now, oblivion seems to have caught up with the post war generation, and the works of Coward, Maugham, and Rattigan are back in vogue, considered to be classics, and are produced everywhere. This month, the Irish Classical Theatre Company will present Rattigans The Winslow Boy a 1946 play that explores the intersection of justice and class privilege. A young naval cadet is falsely accused of stealing a five-shilling note. This mark on his reputation threatens to ruin his life and to destroy his entire family. One of the most prominent barristers of the day agrees to defend the boy. The real life 1910 incident on which the play is based was famous. The real life attorney was Sir Edward Carson, the same man who prosecuted Oscar Wilde. The genius of Rattigan takes real life to fashion compelling drama. Directed by Brian Cavanagh, the production features Collan Zimmerman, Robert Rutland, Pamela Rose Mangus, Kevin Craig, Kate LoConti, Ben Moran, Todd Benzi, and Matt Witten. Performances begin on April 21st.

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A ROUNDUP OF COMING PLAYS by Anthony Chase - Artvoice

Thursday, April 06, 2017 5:32 p.m. CDT

By Timothy Mclaughlin

(Reuters) - Iowa lawmakers on Thursday approved amended legislation that would enact sweeping changes to the state's gun regulations, including a "stand your ground" provision, and sent it to the governor for final approval.

The bill, backed by the National Rifle Association, says a law-abiding person does not have to retreat before using deadly force.

A similar measure in Florida was thrust into the national spotlight in 2012 after the shooting death of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin by neighborhood watch member George Zimmerman, who was acquitted of murder after the law was included in jury instructions.

At least 24 other states have similar measures, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

The Iowa bill allows for children under the age of 14 to use handguns while under the supervision of an adult who is 21 or older. It also says gun owners with permits can bring concealed handguns into capitol buildings.

Republican state Representative Matt Windschitl said on the House floor on Thursday the bill was, "the most monumental piece of Second Amendment legislation this state has ever seen."

The bill also would make gun permits valid for five years, with a background check required when the permit is issued. Under the current law, permits are valid for one year with an annual background check.

The bill passed the state Senate on Tuesday and the House last month. The House voted on it again on Thursday to approve changes made in the Senate before advancing it to the desk of Republican Governor Terry Branstad.

A spokesman for Branstad did not immediately respond to request for comment.

The bill has been criticized by gun control advocates, who say it could increase gun violence.

"We have had very good gun laws," the Reverend Cheryl Thomas of Iowans for Gun Safety said by telephone. "With the passage of this law, we are going to lose that status."

Iowans for Gun Safety want Branstad to veto the measure.

Previous attempts to change the state's gun regulations have been blocked by Democrats, who held a majority in the Senate until November.

Following the election, Republican lawmakers control the Senate, House and governor's office for the first time in nearly two decades.

Republicans have used their majority to push through a number of bills during this legislative session, including drastic changes to the state's collective bargaining laws.

(Reporting by Timothy Mclaughlin in Chicago; Editing by Bill Trott)

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Iowa poised for major overhaul to gun regulations - KFGO

In his new play "The Trial of Trayvon Martin," set to open April 6 in the Manny Fried Playhouse, Buffalo playwright Gary Earl Ross poses a simple question with a damning answer:

What would have happened on Feb. 26, 2012 if the roles of Trayvon Martinand George Zimmerman, whose deadly confrontation that evening helped to fuel a new movement for racial justice in America,had been switched?

"Would Martin have been released because there was nothing to contradict his story?" Ross asked. "Or would he have been held until they found something to contradict his story?"

Given what we know about the skewed application ofjustice inFloridaand the rising tide of racist rhetoric across the United States, the likely answer is not hard to guess.

And that's why Ross set out to write this play, the third in the Subversive Theatre Collective's "Black Power Play Series." The larger question he poses to audiences iswhy they should tacitly accept a system that treats criminal suspects, defendants and victims differently based on the color of their skin.

Ross, known for his mystery novels, thrillers and courtroom dramas, based the play on a story he wrote shortly after a jury acquitted Zimmermanfor his role in Martin's death. It was averdict that surprised even many observers of Florida'sfamously flawed criminal justice system. That includes Ross, whose son is a Florida police officer.

"I thought, there's no way he can get an acquittal on this, because from everything I've read, George Zimmerman instigated this whole thing by following the child," Ross said. "I went through 911 transcripts, I went through trial transcripts and articles about the trial. It seems to me that it probably shouldn't have been second-degree murder, it should have been manslaughter."

But would even that have resulted in a conviction?There's no way to know. So Ross applied his knowledge of the justice system and its history of shortchanging black men, to this hypothetical situation.

The result, hesuggested, is as much an indictment of thecriminal justice system as it is ofthe insidiousness of American racism.

"They charge more children as adults, they don't keep track of who owns firearms, and it just struck me that we have a convergence of gun culture, racism and the unequal criminal justice system," Ross said. "There's a level of subconscious racism that exists in America, and part of what I hope I'm doing in this play is pointing it out."

THEATER PREVIEW

What: "The Trial of Trayvon Martin" Where: Manny Fried Playhouse, 255 Great Arrow Ave. When: April 6 to May 6 Tickets: $25 to $30 Info: 408-0499 or subversivetheatre.org

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New play flips tragedy of Trayvon Martin on its head - Buffalo News

Florida lawmakers advanced a measure on Wednesday that could make it easier to avoid prosecution in deadly shootings and other use-of-force cases by seeking immunity on self-defense grounds under the state's pioneering "stand your ground" law.

In a 74-39 vote, the state's House of Representatives passed legislation that shifts the burden of proof from defendants to prosecutors when the law is invoked to avoid trial.

The measure now returns to the state Senate, which last month approved its own version of the bill. Both chambers are controlled by Republicans.

Florida's "stand your ground" law, passed in 2005, received wide scrutiny and inspired similar laws in other states. It removed the legal responsibility to retreat from a dangerous situation and allowed use deadly force when a person felt greatly threatened.

Opponents say the measures will embolden gun owners to shoot first, citing the 2012 death of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin in Florida, which spurred national protests and the Black Lives Matter movement. The neighborhood watchman who killed him, George Zimmerman, was acquitted of murder after the law was included in jury instructions.

Wednesday's House vote on changing the law followed party lines.

Supporters, including the National Rifle Association, the powerful U.S. gun lobby, see the legislation as bolstering a civilian's right to quell an apparent threat.

"This bill is trying to put the burden of proof where it belongs, on the state, because all people are innocent before being proven guilty," said the Republican sponsor of the bill, Representative Bobby Payne.

Florida's law did not specify the process for applying "stand your ground" immunity. State courts established the current protocol, which calls for a pre-trial hearing before a judge and puts the burden of proof on the defendant.

Most of those speaking in the House debate were Democrats who said the bill would lead to more violence.

"Who will speak for the voiceless victims, silenced by an aggressor who claims he wasnt an aggressor but is protected by a flawed law? said Democrat Representative Bobby Dubose.

While public defenders support the changes to the law, the Florida Prosecuting Attorneys Association and gun control advocates oppose them.

"Every battery case, every domestic violence case, every use of force case, as a matter of routine, defense attorneys will now request hearings," said Phil Archer, a state attorney.

Archer, a lifetime NRA member who teachers gun owners about "stand your ground," said of the changes: "This is just going too far."

WASHINGTON The Trump administration and the Japanese government are in discussions to ensure that the bankruptcy of Toshiba Corp's U.S. unit Westinghouse Electric Co does not lead to U.S. technology secrets and infrastructure falling into Chinese hands, a U.S. official said on Thursday.

AUGUSTA, Georgia American journeyman Charley Hoffman led the U.S. Masters after firing a sparkling 65 in a wind-swept first round on Thursday as world number one Dustin Johnson pulled out due to a back injury.

AUGUSTA, Georgia In a field of golfing thoroughbreds, self-described plow horse William McGirt plodded his way up to second place at the U.S. Masters on Thursday after a gusty opening round at Augusta National.

Excerpt from:
Florida legislature poised to bolster 'Stand Your Ground' law - Reuters