Dustin Lance Black's Gay Marriage Play '8' Goes To Los Angeles

"Milk" and "J. Edgar" screenwriter Dustin Lance Black's gay marriage play "8" will feature an star-studded cast for its March premiere in Los Angeles.

In September, "8" was performed as a one-night benefit with stars including Morgan Freeman, Ellen Barkin, John Lithgow, Cheyenne Jackson, and others, raising over $1 million. The Los Angeles event will also function as a benefit, with a line-up that includes George Clooney, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Jane Lynch, Matthew Morrison, Rob Reiner, Martin Sheen and George Takei.

The play centers on Perry vs. Schwarzenegger, a lawsuit seeking to strike down Proposition 8 in California, which illegalizes same-sex marriage in the state. The play draws on transcripts from the trial, and is bookended by the closing arguments from the battle.

Clooney and Sheen will play David Boies and Theodore B. Olson, the plaintiffs' lead co-counsel, while Christine Lahti and Jamie Lee Curtis will play the lesbian couple Kris Perry and Sandy Stier, the plaintiffs. Matthew Morrison and Matt Bomer will play a gay couple, Paul Katami and Jeff Zarrillo, also plaintiffs in the case. Jane Lynch, who married partner Lara Embry in 2010, will play an adversary to same-sex marriage, the co-founder of the National Organization for Marriage, Maggie Gallagher, with Rob Reiner as David Blankenhorn, the founder of the Institute for American Values.

"This play will continue to show Americans--one by one--that prejudice and fear cannot stand up to truth and justice," AFER Board President Chad Griffin said in a statement. "Try as they might, the anti-marriage proponents of Proposition 8 cannot hide their discriminatory arguments from the American people. Until every citizen can equally enjoy the freedom to marry, AFER will continue to fight in the courts of law and the court of public opinion--and we will win."

The American Foundation for Equal Rights and Broadway Impact are partnering to sponsor a tour of "8" in states like Maryland, New Hampshire and North Carolina, where activists are currently fighting actively for gay marriage. Over 40 readings have already been scheduled. Through the year, "8" will also be licensed for free to colleges and community theaters to encourage consciousness of the political questions raised by the show.

"People need to witness what happened in the Proposition 8 trial, if for no other reason than to see inequality and discrimination unequivocally rejected in a court of law where truth and facts matter," said Black. "I've built my career around exposing and uncovering 'the real story.' The goal of '8' is to show the world that marriage equality is a basic constitutional right and that those who would deny this basic freedom from loving, committed couples have only vitriol and baseless hyperbole to fall back on. The facts are on our side and truth always finds the light. We are doing all we can to help speed that process along."

Comments

[SILVANUS]

07:47 PM on 01/20/2012

You are mentally deranged.

[schatsie]

04:13 PM on 01/21/2012

time to start stoning the adulterers...

[jacobisrael]

12:58 PM on 01/23/2012

Certainly it is. What about the adulteresses? And do you really know what adulterating something is?

[jacobisrael]

06:03 PM on 01/19/2012

"You didn't say anything about outlawing pork, outlawing divorce or women going to school. And you didn't say anything about James 3, 2-12 and John 8:7"

What's there to say about them if you already know them?

As a personal aside, I DO follow all of these commandments, plus many more, as do ALL brethren who I have respect for.

Stick to the point. You won't win with straw man arguments.

[schatsie]

04:13 PM on 01/21/2012

I love shrimp and Dungeness crab,,,,but they are not kosher are they?

[jacobisrael]

12:54 PM on 01/23/2012

Kosher is not a Biblical term. It is in fact in direct opposition to the Word of God. And of course the Word of God does contain dietary laws, which do include shrimp and Dungeness crab, as well as pork.

Many Christians DO eat pork, just as many of us used to. It's only recently that we've discovered that we're allergic to it, something no doctor or health official or web site will ever warn you about. There ARE cultures where pork is a central theme of their diet, and it doesn't seem to affect them. But it DOES affect His holy people, so why mess with Him when avoiding these items is real simple (not to mention one of the easiest of His commandments to follow)?

[sleeplessjewel]

12:17 AM on 01/25/2012

Just to clarify - you follow the commandment of outlawing women going to school?

[jacobisrael]

01:17 PM on 01/25/2012

Just to clarify--which Verse is that?

[jacobisrael]

01:46 PM on 01/28/2012

We know you've been looking through your dog eared copy of the Holy Bible to find that verse, but could never find it, because if you had found it, you would have posted that Verse by now.

So where exactly did this idea come from? The same bit bucket that the claim that God loves gay marriage comes from?

[zest]

12:33 PM on 01/19/2012

When will this revolutionary play be televised?

[geo9779]

07:58 AM on 01/19/2012

Wait, are tickets really $500???

[LMPE]

08:58 PM on 01/18/2012

Might I suggest that all these people who rant against marriage equality are anti-capitalist? Allowing same-sex marriage would mean more money, which is what our economy is supposed to be about. But no, there are still millions of lunatics who'd rather turn the US into a theocracy.

Good to hear that Clooney, Lynch, Sheen, Reiner, etc, are participating in Black's play!

[jacobisrael]

03:53 PM on 01/20/2012

Since the AIDS epidemic in this country began (at the same time many other countries, like Norway and even Bangladesh, never had a single AIDS death), health care spending as a percent of GDP doubled, from 9% to 18%.

This means that last year alone, the LOSING battle of fighting AIDS cost us more than an ADDITIONAL $1.2 TRILLION.

Without that, we would be flush with cash (er, actually, what I mean by that is that obama wouldn't have to beg for money from China so he can bomb Baghdad). The signs are, though, that China is getting ready to say "no", as their own credit rating agency is following suit with Standard and Poors'.

btw, the idea of marriage is to provide a safe place for children, which is what creates healthy economies, which is not what gays do, but which China DOES do, which is why 6 of the top ten banks in the world are Chinese and NONE are American.

[LMPE]

03:59 PM on 01/20/2012

If we had universal health care, we wouldn't spend so much.

[SILVANUS]

07:51 PM on 01/20/2012

Then your friends should not have purposefully contaminated and freely offered the Hepatitis vaccine in '78 and'79 that spread it.

[Celt Glen]

08:52 PM on 01/18/2012

This play with oh so popular Clooney (Swooney) is a nice thing...a good start...but will not impact the Christian Right or the Mormons who are just about ready to take hold of the Country.

Defeat Romney.

[grock13]

06:33 PM on 01/18/2012

F@$K HOLLYWOOD. It's like a grown up high school. Everyone following trends.

[LMPE]

08:59 PM on 01/18/2012

Actually, I think that these people actually believe in this.

Everyone following trends? That's Mitt Romney.

[Celt Glen]

08:59 PM on 01/18/2012

So what? Got a point there slammer?

[grock13]

02:39 AM on 01/20/2012

The point was pretty blunt. Having trouble with your cognitive skills.

[Dan De Leon]

03:58 PM on 01/18/2012

Amazing!

[Celt Glen]

06:28 PM on 01/20/2012

ain't it though

[lacrosselamore]

02:10 PM on 01/18/2012

George is a great guy. I hope he runs for President someday. He could be our Reagan.

[nojonaps]

03:09 PM on 01/18/2012

Except George would have morals.

[RedDog79]

04:58 PM on 01/20/2012

except they're completely different.

[jacobisrael]

02:07 PM on 01/18/2012

• ONLY 40% of Canadian voters want to recognize gay marriage
• Seven states have laws that define marriage as a legal union between a man and woman, deny recognition of same-sex marriages solemnized in other states, and make same-sex marriage a violation of public policy. These states are Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Missouri
• Six states define marriage as a union between a man and woman and deny recognition of same-sex marriages solemnized in other states. These states are Alaska, Florida, Indiana, Nebraska, South Dakota, and West Virginia
• Four states deny recognition of same-sex marriages solemnized in other states and make such marriages a violation of public policy. These states are Idaho, Louisiana, Montana, and South Carolina
• Three states-Colorado, Kansas, and Tennessee-define marriage as a legal union between a man and women and make same-sex marriage a violation of public policy
• The 15 remaining states have laws that contain only one provision rather than a combination of those discussed above
• Only three of the 37 DOMA states use the federal definition of a "spouse" as a member of the opposite sex who is legally married as husband or wife. These states are Florida, North Dakota, and Texas

http://www.cga.ct.gov/2002/olrdata/jud/rpt/2002-R-0957.htm

Justices (Ternus, Baker, and Streit) who ruled against we the people of Iowa in their overwhelming public mandate to outlaw gay marriage were just removed

[beetlejuice666]

09:47 AM on 01/19/2012

Wow, you put a lot of effort into rationalizing your hatred.

[jacobisrael]

02:13 PM on 01/19/2012

So let's make sure we've got this straight.

Are you saying that you feel that the 86% of the voters of Mississippi who amended their state constitution to outlaw gay marriage did so only out of hate? Or that you feel that the 76% of the voters of Texas who voted for Proposition 2 to outlaw gay marriage did so only out of hate? Or that you feel that the 71% of the voters in Kentucky who amended their state constitution to outlaw gay marriage did so only out of hate?

Don't you have even the slightest suspicion that their motivation was a bit different than hate?

Would you agree that you seem to hate them more than they hate you?

[Sociologyst]

02:09 PM on 01/19/2012

And yet, 2 people getting married STILL won't effect your life in any way. Crazy how life works, isn't it?

[jacobisrael]

05:32 PM on 01/19/2012

If this is all it is, then what's the big deal? Why are you running around screeching "before you start harassing others" if you REALLY don't think that Christians allowing sinners into their midst "won't effect []our life in any way"?

God punishes Christians severely when they don't obey Him. Ever heard of AIDS, or fire and brimstone?

[jacobisrael]

02:05 PM on 01/18/2012

• 86% of Mississippi voters amend state constitution in 2001
• 76% of Texas voters pass Proposition 2
• 71.6% of Kentucky voters amend state constitution
• 70% of Nebraska voters amend state constitution with Initiative 416
• 69.4% of Nevada voters amend state constitution
• 68% of Alaska’s voters amend state constitution
• 66% of Hawaii legislators amend state constitution, 69% of voters endorsed that amendment
• 61.4% of California voters pass Proposition 22 on March 7, 2000, then again 53% pass Proposition 8 in November 2009
• 57% of Oregon voters reject the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and amend their state constitution
• 53.4% of Colorado Voters amend state constitution on November 3, 1993
• Oklahoman voters made it a crime for a public official to issue gay marriage licenses
• FEDERAL DOMA law passed on September 21, 1996 ends gay marriage
• “Voters in Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon and Utah all approved anti-same-sex marriage amendments by double-digit margins”, per CNN
• “Focus On the Family” reported that 35 states had already passed DOMA laws prior to California voters passing Proposition 8 in a landslide victory, making that 36 states
• Voters in Maine and Washington reject their legislator’s initiatives to recognize gay marriage

[lacrosselamore]

03:48 PM on 01/18/2012

And when SCOTUS rules in our favor, all of the States and all of the voters and all of the "justices" and you can kiss my Gay ( I ).

[SILVANUS]

07:55 PM on 01/20/2012

Jacob has a desperate need to feel "special" in the eyes of his punishing god.

[craiglll]

03:49 PM on 01/18/2012

So are you pro or con with marriage equality?

[jacobisrael]

05:50 PM on 01/18/2012

As you may surmise from the above cites, most Americans stand with God:

`And a man who lieth with a male as one lieth with a woman; abomination both of them have done; they are certainly put to death; their blood is on them. Lev 20:13

[Celt Glen]

06:35 PM on 01/19/2012

Really? Venture a guess here...?