Editorial Intern
A one-night-only staged reading of Dustin Lance Black’s 8, The Play will be presented on Friday, Sept. 21 at 8pm at the Ernest Borgnine Theater, 855 Elm Ave.
It is supported by Public Theater of Southern California, with license from the American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER), the sole sponsor of Perry v. Brown, the federal constitutional challenge to California’s Proposition 8, and Broadway Impact, an organization that engages in theatre community to fight for marriage equality. The Broadway world premiere on Sept. 19, 2011, in New York City, brought in over $1 million to support AFER’s efforts in achieving full federal marriage equality.
The play portrays the legal arguments and testimonies of the Perry v. Schwarzenegger trial that led to the overturn of Proposition 8, also known as the “California Marriage Protection Act,” which restricted gays and lesbians of the fundamental freedom to marry.
Producing artistic director Denis McCourt heard about the play through the partner of his set designer, John Novac, about a year ago. “The funny thing about this play is that all of these characters are actually real people who are in the media now and alive. Although it is a play, it really is their life,” McCourt said. “As soon as I heard about it, I contacted the national organization, which is Broadway Impact.”
In the performance, Garcia will play Jeff Zarrillo, and Rudd will play his partner, Paul Katami, two of the four plaintiffs in the trial. “It’s great that we are doing this performance,” Garcia said. “It’s a really well-known play, and it’s especially great that it is for a good cause. That’s why I’m involved.”
Neither Garcia nor Rudd has performed in any sort of show in years. Garcia has not participated in a staged reading since high school. As for Rudd, “I haven’t been on stage in 10 years or so,” he said.
But their lack of recent experience didn’t bother McCourt when he decided that they were right for the show. “They are such good sports,” McCourt said. “They’ve known each other for a long time. They engage with each other. It’s been a lot of fun working with them. I think at the end of the day, this is their story. It means a lot to them.”
McCourt added that directing a staged reading is a lot simpler than helming a play. Staging, lighting, set pieces and props are of little concern. Actors are allowed to have the script in their hand throughout the entire show. “And this is a really great professional group of actors,” he said. “Even at today’s reading, most of them didn’t need their scripts.”
The play is based on the actual words of the trial transcripts, first-hand observations of the courtroom drama and interviews with the plaintiffs and their families. “It already has a court feel to it,” McCourt noted. “And the way the actors are set up on stage, it feels like a courtroom.”
There is an additional testimony in the play by Ryan Kendall, a young, college-aged man. He is actually one of the first witnesses who is on trial in the play. “He was sent to therapy where they tried to actually reverse his gayness,” McCourt said. “In his testimony, he talks about how his mom told him, ‘I wish I had a child with Down syndrome instead of a gay son.’ Yes, [the play] is focused on fighting for marriage equality, but it is also fighting to stop discrimination.”
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit publictheatresocal.com .
