Dustin Lance Black's '8' to be Presented in Sacramento, 10/20

Kate Sullivan Gibbens, with license from the American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER) and Broadway Impact, has announced a one-night-only reading of "8," Saturday, October 20, 2012 at the downtown Crest Theater.

"8" is 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.

Black, who pinned 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 of the unprecedented case of the Federal District Court trial in Perry v. Schwarzenegger (now Perry v. Brown).

The case was filed by AFER to overturn Proposition 8, which stripped gay and lesbian Californians of the "fundamental freedom to marry".

Gibbens, Producer/Director of the Sacramento production of "8," worked with Black on the original play and is a graduate of UCLA with a MFA in Playwriting. "I'm excited to be able to bring to my hometown a project I am so proud of having a part in creating," said Gibbens.

Following the play's reading there will be a panel discussion concerning the play, and the history and future of Prop. 8. Kate Sullivan Gibbens will discuss adapting the trial transcripts to the play and working with Dustin Lance Black. Other panel members include plaintiffs Kris Perry and Sandra Stier. Sacramento's Steve Hanson will be speaking and Larry Levine, Law Professor at the McGeorge School of Law will be on the panel.

"8" had its much-heralded Broadway world premiere on September 19, 2011 in New York City. Its West Coast premiere was at the Wilshire Ebell Theater on Saturday, March 3, 2012, in Los Angeles with an all-star cast.

"People need to witness what happened in the Prop 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."

Currently, casting for the Sacramento production is underway. A majority of the participating actors will be local with one or two acceptations.

"8" will play at the Crest Theater (1013 K Street Downtown Sacramento) at 8pm, Saturday, October, 20, 2012. Tickets are on sale and range from $18, $48, to $80VIP. This is a fundraiser for the American Foundation for Equal Rights. For more information and tickets go to: www.8insacramento.com and LIKE their Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/8insacramento.com.

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