Theatre TCU plans to feature student actors and actresses in an upcoming production of “The Yellow Boat.”

“The Yellow Boat” is playwright David Saar’s celebration of the life of his son, Benjamin, that was tragically cut short due to contracting HIV from a blood transfusion, Craig Robertson, a senior theatre major and director of the production, said.

“‘The Yellow Boat’ is a play seen through the eyes of an 8-year-old child,” Robertson said. “Benjamin’s parents struggle with knowing why it is that their son’s friends are being kept away from him. Benjamin doesn’t understand why he is being treated the way he is.”

Sophomore theatre major Mark Laird said many of the actors and actresses in “The Yellow Boat” played multiple characters.

“We are filling in the gaps with different characters,” Laird said. “These characters clearly show a progression of time.”

Freshman theatre major Marisa Bonahoom said the principal character she played, a nurse named Joy, brought a level of playfulness to Benjamin’s life.

“Benjamin is very playful outside the hospital,” Bonahoom said. “The hospital drains Benjamin of personality.”

Benjamin’s world was void of color when he is at the hospital, but Joy connected with Benjamin through his passion for drawing, Bonahoom said. Joy threw Benjamin a lifeline, and it was this lifeline that enabled Benjamin to regain his lost youthfulness, she said. 

Joy brought color back into Benjamin’s life, Robertson said.

“‘The Yellow Boat’ is a vibrant combination of color, movement and music,” Robertson said. “It is a very dynamic play.”

There are two student-directed plays performed each year, one in the fall and the other in the spring, Robertson said.

“It is a fine-tuned process,” Robertson said. “Performance majors are required to audition. There is no picking and choosing specific productions or parts.”

Students audition for all parts at the same time. Directors only call back those actors they want for their respective plays for a second audition, Robertson said.

Robertson, who runs his own theater company, said he hoped to teach high school theater. He said he wanted to bring theater to the next generation of artists.

Bonahoom, however, said she planned to stick with acting.

“Acting has always been my passion,” Bonahoom said. “I can’t imagine myself doing anything else.”

“The Yellow Boat”

When: 5:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday

2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday

(No performances Saturday)

Where: Studio Theatre, 

TCU Walsh Center

Cost: $10 for adults, $5 for students and seniors

Tickets are on sale now at the Theatre TCU Box Office.