Dustin Lance Black's New Play "8" Propagates Galactic Marriage Equality

By Anumita Mukherjee, Broadway.tv

"'8' started as an idea to help raise funds for the court case, this case has a long way to go, it has to all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court so that the ruling of Judge Walker applies to everyone in every state," said Academy Award–winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black (Milk) at the world premiere of his new play "8".

Morgan Freeman (David Boies), Matt Bomer (Jeff Zarillo), Ellen Barkin (Sandy Stier), Bob Balaban (Chief Judge Vaughn Walker), Christine Lahti (Kris Perry), Cheyenne Jackson (Paul Katami), Larry Kramer (Evan Wolfson), Rory O'Malley (Ryan Kendall), Rob Reiner (David Blankenhorn), John Lithgow (Theodore B. Olson) were just some of the celebrities that starred in this one night only staged reading at Eugene O'Neill Theatre on September 19, 2011.

Black's play "8" is composed out of transcripts from the closing arguments of 2010 Proposition 8 trial in San Francisco. It is based on Federal District Court's trial of Perry v. Schwarzenegger –the case filed by American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER) to overturn California's Proposition 8, the ballot initiative that reversed the state Supreme Court's ruling that granted same–sex couples the right to marry.

In May 2008, California Supreme Court had ruled that the right to marry extended to all individuals, regardless of sexual orientation. However, in November of 2008, the voters of California retaliated to that decision with Proposition 8 which overturned the ruling and swept away the right to marry for gay and lesbian citizens.

"What is the great thing about this play is that you don't even have to embellish it, the testimony speaks for itself," said Yeardley Smith who plays Dr. Nancy Cott in the play.

The play showcases the arguments made on both liberal and conservative side. "When conservatives get to see it too and see what happened at the trials, how illegitimate the argument is...," said Matt Bomer.

AFER and Broadway Impact joined forces to bring the historic trial that declared Proposition 8 unconstitutional and thereby allowed same–sex couples to marry in the state of California to public's attention.

"I feel like homophobia is the last acceptable form of discrimination," quipped Bradley Whitford at the premiere.

Recently, New York State became the sixth state in America to sign the same sex marriage bill into law. However, the battle for marriage equality is still not won.

Following the premiere of "8", AFER and Broadway Impact will license the play to schools, colleges, and community theatres to raise awareness and encourage discussion. All proceeds from the play will fund the fight for federal marriage equality for all.

For information on how your local theater can produce "8," visit: www.BROADWAYIMPACT.com