Ensemble Theatre of Chattanooga with license from the American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER) and Broadway Impact, announces a one-night-only reading of “8,” a play chronicling the historic trial in the federal constitutional challenge to California’s Proposition 8, written by Academy Award-winning screenwriter and AFER Founding Board Member Dustin Lance Black.  

The performance will be held at the C.C. Bond Humanities Auditorium on the beautiful Chattanooga State Community College Campus, at 4501 Amnicola Highway, Chattanooga, Tn.

37406. Time of the performance is 7:30, a talkback is planned to follow the reading.  

The production includes actors from all over the Chattanooga Valley and is directed by Garry Lee Posey, Founding Artistic Director. Mr. Posey said, "As an artist, I rarely try to jump on a soapbox about an issue when directing a piece. My goal is to try and present the story in as bias a way as possible. Even with Laramie Project, I feel its just as important to present every character (even those I might find personally repulsive) in a sincere and honest portrait. However, as a gay man who wants more than anything to build a family with the person I love, producing "8" becomes my way of standing up for the rights I am due as a citizen of this country."

Mr. Black, who penned the Academy Award-winning feature film Milk and the film J. Edgar, based “8” on the actual words of the trial transcripts, first-hand observations of the courtroom drama and interviews with the plaintiffs and their families.  

“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 AFER Founding Board Member Dustin Lance Black.  “The goal of ‘8’ is to show the world that marriage equality is a basic constitutional right.  The facts are on our side and truth always finds the light.  AFER and Broadway Impact are doing all we can to help speed that process along.”

“8” is described as "an unprecedented account of the Federal District Court trial in Perry v. Schwarzenegger (now Perry v. Brown), the case filed by AFER to overturn Proposition 8, which stripped gay and lesbian Californians of the fundamental freedom to marry.  It received its much-heralded Broadway world premiere on September 19, 2011, at the sold-out Eugene O’Neill Theatre in New York City.  The production brought in over $1 million to support AFER’s efforts to achieve full federal marriage equality. 

"It had its West Coast premiere reading at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre on Saturday, March 3, in Los Angeles.  The West Coast premiere reading of “8” featured an all-star cast led by Golden Globe Award-winner and Academy and Emmy Award-nominee Brad Pitt as United States District Chief Judge Vaughn R. Walker; and Academy and Golden Globe Award-winner and Emmy Award-nominee George Clooney and Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winner Martin Sheen as Plaintiffs’ lead co-counsel David Boies and Theodore B. Olson. The benefit reading was directed by AFER Founding Board Member Rob Reiner, and raised more than $2 million for the fight to secure full federal marriage equality.

"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.  Most productions will be followed by a talkback where cast and audience members can discuss the issues presented in the Perry v. Schwarzenegger trial."  

“As an artist, I rarely find myself climbing on a soapbox about any issue.  My goal is to tell the story in as bias a way as possible.  As a gay artist, I believe it is my duty to stage “8” in an effort for me to achieve the rights I am due as a proud citizen of this country and this state,” said Mr. Posey.

The story for “8” is "framed by the trial’s historic closing arguments in June 2010, and features the best arguments and testimony from both sides. Scenes include flashbacks to some of the more jaw-dropping moments of trial, such as the admission by the Proposition 8 supporters’ star witness, David Blankenhorn, that “we would be more American on the day we permitted same-sex marriage than we were on the day before.”

"On Feb. 7, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued a landmark decision upholding the historic August 2010 ruling of the Federal District Court that found Proposition 8 unconstitutional," he stated.  

He said the Ninth Circuit concluded: “Proposition 8 serves no purpose, and has no effect, other than to lessen the status and human dignity of gays and lesbians in California, and to officially reclassify their relationships and families as inferior to those of opposite-sex couples.  The Constitution simply does not allow for laws of this sort.”

Tickets to this event are free, and reservations can be made by emailing ensemble.theatre.chattanooga@gmail.com or by calling 987-5141.