Dustin Lance Black New Play ”8”

Dustin Lance Black, Academy Award-winning screenwriter for the film MILK and the new critically-acclaimed film J. EDGAR, talks about his new  play “8” with  Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™. Based on the Prop 8 trial in California. “8” is an unprecedented account of the Federal District Court trial in Perry v. Schwarzenegger (now Perry v. Brown), the case filed by the American Foundation for Equal Rights to overturn Proposition 8, which stripped gay and lesbian Californians of the fundamental freedom to marry. “8” finally provides the audience with the actual words of the trial transcripts, first-hand observations of the courtroom drama and interviews with the plaintiffs and their families. As you know there has been a battle in California over allowing the public access to viewing the original tapes of this trial. “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. On March 3rd for one night only “8” will have its West Coast Premiere in Los Angeles with an All-Star Cast including: Matt Bomer, Campbell Brown, George Clooney, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Cleve Jones, Christine Lahti, Jane Lynch, Matthew Morrison, Rory O’Malley, Rob Reiner, Martin Sheen, Yeardley Smith, and George Takei. When asked about the West Coast Premiere of “8” Black stated, “It’s a huge testament I think to the cause that this has universal reach. The people we just named are straight, gay and lesbian and they understand that this issue touches someone in their lives, if not themselves then someone in their lives. We all know it’s time to stop the discrimination and to treat all Americans equal under the law and to send a message to young people that their love will be valued when they grow up, that their lives are equally valued in this country. We did the play in New York with a great cast and now we’re doing it in LA. It is important that we continue to raise the money we need and every dime goes to American Foundation for Equal Rights to fund the federal case for equal marriage as we head to the US Supreme Court and a decision that will effect the entire country.” Dustin who serves on the board of The Trevor Project also addressed the LGBTQ Teen Bullying epidemic and other issues affecting our LGBT community. Throughout 2012, AFER and Broadway Impact are licensing “8” for free to colleges and community theatres nationwide in order to spur action, dialogue and understanding. For More Info & Tix: 8theplay.com & afer.org

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