8 (play)

8 is an American play that portrays the closing arguments of Perry v. Schwarzenegger, a federal trial that led to the overturn of Proposition 8, an amendment banning same-sex marriages in California. It was created by Dustin Lance Black in light of the court's denial of a motion to release a video recording of the trial and to give the public a true account of what transpired in the courtroom.

8
Official Poster
Written byDustin Lance Black
Kate Sullivan Gibbens
Date premieredSeptember 19, 2011 (Broadway)
March 3, 2012 (worldwide broadcast)
Place premieredEugene O'Neill Theatre
Ebell of Los Angeles broadcast live on YouTube
SubjectPerry v. Schwarzenegger trial reenactment using original court transcripts and first-hand interviews of the people involved
Genreverbatim theatre
documentary theatre
Official site

The play is written in the style of verbatim theatre reenactment, using transcripts from the trial, journalist records, and media interviews from the plaintiffs, defendants and proponents involved. 8 first premiered on September 19, 2011 at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre in New York City, and later broadcast worldwide from the Ebell of Los Angeles on March 3, 2012.[1][2] Black brought the play to San Francisco, the home of the court case on which the play was based, on October 7, 2012 for a one-night-only reading at the ACT Theater.[3] A cast reception following the reading included an appearance by the trial judge, Vaughn Walker. On October 22, 2012, another one-night-only reading was performed at the downtown Crest Theater in Sacramento, California, U.S.[4]

The American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER) and Broadway Impact, sponsors of the play, have licensed the play for readings nationwide on college campuses and in community theaters free of charge, as an educational tool.[5]

A radio adaptation was broadcast on JOY 94.9, an LGBTIQ community radio station in Melbourne, Australia, on March 27, 2014.

Context

In May 2009, AFER filed a lawsuit, Perry v. Schwarzenegger, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on behalf of plaintiffs, two same-sex couples, to challenge a voter-approved constitutional amendment, known as Proposition 8, that eliminated same-sex couples' right to marry in the state.[6][7] The same-sex couples were represented by David Boies and former U.S. Solicitor General Theodore Olson, two high-profile attorneys who opposed each other in the U.S. Supreme Court case, Bush v. Gore.[8]

Cast and characters

The following is a list of the cast of characters, along with the actors that portrayed them in the play's premieres.

Character Description Broadway (2011) Los Angeles broadcast (2012) Sacramento (2012)
The Court
Vaughn R. Walker Judge[9] Bob Balaban Brad Pitt Christopher Cabaldon
Theodore Olson Lawyer for Plaintiffs[9] John Lithgow Martin Sheen Ben Patrick Johnson
David Boies Lawyer for Plaintiffs[9] Morgan Freeman George Clooney Kurt Johnson
Charles J. Cooper Lawyer for Defense[9] Bradley Whitford Kevin Bacon Matt K Miller
Court Clerk[9] Kate Shindle Vanessa García Jessica Goldman
The Plaintiffs
Kris Perry[9] Christine Lahti Unknown
Sandy Stier[9] Ellen Barkin Jamie Lee Curtis
Spencer Perry Son of Plaintiff[9] Jay Armstrong Johnson Bridger Zadina Austin Laut
Elliot Perry Son of Plaintiff[9] Ben Rosenfield Jansen Panettiere Grant Laut
Jeff Zarrillo[9] Matt Bomer Thai Rivera
Paul Katami[9] Cheyenne Jackson Matthew Morrison Evan Brienza
Witnesses for Plaintiffs
Nancy F. Cott, Ph.D. Testified on the history of marriage[9] Yeardley Smith Robin Hushbeck
Gregory M. Herek, Ph.D. Testified on the nature of homosexuality; sexual orientation[9] K. Todd Freeman Rory O’Malley Michael RJ Campbell
Ilan Meyer, Ph.D. Testified on minority stress; stigma impacts; discrimination[9] Anthony Edwards Jesse Tyler Ferguson Eason Donner
Gary Segura Testified on the vulnerability of gays and lesbians in the nation's political process[9] Stephen Spinella James Pickens, Jr. Nanci Zoppi
Ryan Kendall Testified on being forced by parents to undergo "conversion therapy" as a youth[9] Rory O'Malley Chris Colfer Patrick Burns
Witnesses for Defense
David Blankenhorn Testified on marriage being a socially-approved, sexual relationship between man and woman[9] Rob Reiner John C. Reilly Steve Minnow
William Tam Testified on same-sex marriage leading to polygamy, pedophilia, and incest[9] Ken Leung George Takei Ben Phillips
Other characters
Evan Wolfson Founder of Freedom to Marry[9] Larry Kramer Cleve Jones George Raya
Maggie Gallagher NOM President (opponent of same-sex marriage)[9] Jayne Houdyshell Jane Lynch Janis Stevens
Broadcast Journalist[9] Campbell Brown Unknown

See also

References
  1. Ng, David (March 4, 2012). "George Clooney, Brad Pitt lead all-star Prop. 8 play reading". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
  2. "Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Martin Sheen headline West Coast premiere of marriage-rights play". Associated Press. March 5, 2012. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
  3. "Holland Taylor, Luke Macfarlane, and More Set for '8' Reading at ACT Tonight, 10/7". Broadway World. October 7, 2012. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  4. "Dustin Lance Black's "8" Comes to Sacramento - Sacramento Press". Sacramento Press. October 13, 2012. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
  5. See
  6. McKinley, Jesse (May 27, 2009). "Bush v. Gore Foes Join to Fight Gay Marriage Ban". The New York Times. Retrieved November 11, 2009.
  7. "Complaint, Perry v. Schwarzenegger" (PDF). American Foundation for Equal Rights. May 22, 2009. Retrieved November 11, 2009.
  8. Brown, Willie (May 31, 2009). "Bush–Gore legal pair push gay marriage suit". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved June 1, 2009.
  9. "The Characters". American Foundation for Equal Rights. afer.org. Archived from the original on January 11, 2016. Retrieved March 19, 2012.
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