THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

September 19, 2011

New York City, NY - Today the American Foundation for Equal Rights in partnership with Broadway Impact announce initial casting for the highly anticipated one night only staged reading of "8," a new play chronicling the historic trial in the federal legal challenge to California's Proposition 8. The play is written by AFER Founding Board Member and Academy Award-winning writer Dustin Lance Black and will be directed by two-time Tony Award-winning actor and director Joe Mantello.

Golden Globe Award winner and four-time Emmy Award nominee Anthony Edwards; Academy and Golden Globe Award winner and Tony nominee Morgan Freeman; award-winning Broadway, television and film star Cheyenne Jackson; Academy, Emmy and two-time Golden Globe Award winner Christine Lahti; two-time Emmy Award-winning, Academy and multiple Golden Globe-nominated director and actor Rob Reiner; Emmy Award winner Yeardley Smith; and Academy Award winner and two-time Golden Globe nominee Marisa Tomei will appear in the Broadway premiere of "8." The production is an unprecedented account of the Federal District Court trial of Perry v. Schwarzenegger, the case filed by AFER to overturn Proposition 8, which eliminated the right to marry for gay and lesbian couples in California.

Black, who penned the Academy-Award winning feature film Milk, 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. The new play will have its world premiere on Broadway at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre in New York City on Monday, September 19, 2011 for an exclusive, one night only fundraiser to benefit AFER. Additional casting for the all-star benefit will be announced soon.

Following the New York debut on September 19, AFER and Broadway Impact will license "8" to schools and community organizations nationwide in order to spur action, dialogue and understanding. AFER and Broadway Impact will help produce these staged readings across the country, so that "8" will live on beyond its September premiere.

The story for "8" is framed by the trial's historic closing arguments in June 2010, but features the best arguments and testimony from both sides of the issue. Scenes include reenactments of many of the well-documented jaw-dropping moments of trial, such as the admission by 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."

AFER prevailed in federal district court when, based on the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, Judge Walker concluded that California had no rational basis or vested interest in denying gays and lesbians marriage licenses and thus found Proposition 8 "unconstitutional" on August 4, 2010. It is currently under appeal by the anti-marriage Proponents and is being expedited through the courts system at a relatively rapid pace.

Unfortunately, the American public was not given a chance to witness the historic trial because the Proponents of Proposition 8 launched a number of desperate attempts to forever hide the trial videotapes. Although the trial proceedings were open to the public, and all courtroom testimony and events were thoroughly documented, the trial video most vividly compares the weakness of the Proponents' arguments to the well-reasoned, valid and constitutionally-based arguments and evidence put forth by AFER's renowned legal team, plaintiffs and expert witnesses.

The video of the trial has been kept under seal due to a federal protective order. AFER's attorneys have filed a motion asking the court to make the full and unedited recordings available for all to see (Hearing scheduled for August 29th before Judge Ware at US District Court), but there is no guarantee that the footage will ever be available for viewing and this is precisely the reason Black wrote "8."

Proceeds from the September 19 reading will go directly to the fight for full federal marriage equality and to support educational efforts on the freedom to marry nationwide.

For more information including how to buy tickets, visit: www.afer.org/broadway8

For information on how your local theater can produce "8," visit: www.BROADWAYIMPACT.com

Follow "8" on Twitter: @8theplay or on Facebook.

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ANTHONY EDWARDS. Best known as Dr. Mark Greene on the hit series "ER," for which he received four Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. Edwards won three Screen Actors Guild Awards (Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series in 1996 and Best Ensemble Cast in 1998 and 1999), and the Golden Globe Award in 1998. Edwards recently executive produced the HBO biopic "Temple Grandin," which won multiple Emmys and Golden Globes. Recent films include Motherhood with Uma Thurman, Flipped directed by Rob Reiner, and Zodiac directed by David Fincher. Other recent credits include Thunderbirds, the Polish brothers' Northfork, and Don't Go Breaking My Heart, which he executive produced in association with his production company. The company also produced the NBC telefilm "Borderline," starring Sherry Stringfeld. Edwards has starred in more than twenty features, including Goose in the blockbuster feature Top Gun. Other feature film credits include Playing by Heart, The Client, Miracle Mile, Mr. North, Hawks, Pet Semetary II, Delta Heat, Landslide, The Sure Thing, Gotcha, Revenge of the Nerds, Heart Like a Wheel and Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Directorial debut: Charley's Ghost Story starring Cheech Marin and Linda Fiorentino. He has also directed several episodes of "ER." Other television credits include "Northern Exposure" and "It Takes Two," opposite Richard Crenna, Patty Duke, and Helen Hunt. Edwards is philanthropically involved with Shoe4Africa (shoe4africa.org ), a charity that is building a children's hospital in Kenya.

MORGAN FREEMAN returns to Broadway in the staged reading of "8." In 1978, he won a Drama Desk Award for his role as Zeke in The Mighty Gents. He also received a Tony nomination for Best Performance by a Featured Actor. In 1987, Freeman received his second Drama Desk Nomination for the role of Holk Colburn which he created for the Alfred Uhry play Driving Miss Daisy and reprised in the 1989 movie of the same name. Other theatre credits include The Country Girl, The Niggerlovers, and Hello Dolly. Freeman won the Academy Award in 2005 for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Million Dollar Baby. In 1990 he won the Golden Globe for Best Actor for his performance in Driving Miss Daisy. Freeman also received an Academy Award nomination in 1987 for Best Supporting Actor for Street Smart and in 1994 for Best Actor for The Shawshank Redemption. In 2010, he received an Academy Award nomination, a Golden Globe nomination and a Broadcast Critics Association nomination for his performance as Nelson Mandela in the acclaimed film Invictus, produced by his production company Revelations Entertainment. He won the National Board of Review award for Best Actor. Freeman's credits include The Dark Knight, The Bucket List, Glory, Clean and Sober, Lean on Me, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Unforgiven, Se7en, Kiss the Girls, Amistad and Deep Impact.

CHEYENNE JACKSON currently appears on NBC's "30 Rock," Fox's "Glee" and HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm." He has also been seen in "Family Practice," "Life on Mars," "Lipstick Jungle," "Ugly Betty", "Law and Order" and "It Takes a Village." Jackson's film credits include Curiosity, Hysteria, Photo Op and the Academy Award-nominated film United 93. He'll next appear in the indie films Smile, The Green, and Price Check. He also recently wrapped production on Daryl Wein's Lola Versus. His first Broadway role was in All Shook Up, earning him the Theatre World Award. Jackson has also appeared in productions of Finian's Rainbow, Damn Yankees, Xanadu, The Agony & The Agony, Altar Boyz, Aida, Thoroughly Modern Millie, The Cartells, On the 20th Century and The 24 Hour Plays. Jackson is an ambassador for amfAR and serves as national ambassador for The Hetrick-Martin Institute.

CHRISTINE LAHTI. Broadway: God of Carnage, The Heidi Chronicles, Loose Ends, Present Laughter, Scenes and Revelations, Division Street. Off-Broadway: Body of Water, Little Murders (Obie Award), Three Hotels (Drama Desk Nom), Landscape of the Body, The Woods (Theatre World Award). Regional: Love, Loss, and What I Wore; Third; A Moon for the Misbegotten; Summer and Smoke; Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Film: Petunia, Touchback, Flying Lessons, Smart People, Yonkers Joe, Obsessed, Swing Shift (Academy Award nom, NY Film Critics Award, Golden Globe nom), Running on Empty (L.A. Film Critics Award, Golden Globe nom), The Doctor, Housekeeping, Just Between Friends, …And Justice for All, Whose Life Is it Anyway?, Gross Anatomy, Leaving Normal, Funny About Love. TV: "The Cleaner," ''Law & Order: SVU,'' ''The Closer,'' "Studio 60," "Ally McBeal," "Chicago Hope" (Emmy Award, Golden Globe Award), "Jack and Bobby" (Golden Globe nom), "No Place Like Home" (Cable Ace Award, Golden Globe Award, Emmy nom), "Crazy From The Heart," "Out of the Ashes," "The Pilot's Wife," "Open House," "The Book of Ruth," "Amerika" (Emmy nom, Golden Globe nom), "An American Daughter" (Golden Globe nom). Directing: My First Mister (opening night, Sundance Film Festival), "Chicago Hope," Lieberman in Love (Academy Award).

ROB REINER. Actor and director Rob Reiner has been a leader in elevating the issue of pre-Kindergarten education and other services for children ages 0 to 5. He chaired the campaign to pass Prop. 10, the California Children and Families Initiative, and chaired from 1999-2006 First 5 California, the state agency responsible for allocating $600 million a year for health, education and other services for young children and parents. He played a key role in defeating Prop. 1D, which would have gutted critical programs for Californian children, and he has also championed open space preservation and alternative energy. Recently, he and his wife Michele joined with the American Foundation for Equal Rights to bring the landmark federal court challenge to California's Prop. 8, the ban on marriage for gay and lesbian couples. Reiner's career as one of the nation's most accomplished actors and directors includes his Emmy Award-winning role in "All in the Family" and directing the films This is Spinal Tap, Stand by Me, The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally, Misery, A Few Good Men, The American President, The Bucket List, Flipped and the just-completed Summer At Dog Dave's.

YEARDLEY SMITH is an Emmy Award-winning actress, playwright, author and shoe designer. She is perhaps best known for her work as the voice of Lisa Simpson on Fox's hit television series "The Simpsons," which is in its twenty-third season. Other television credits include: "Murphy Brown," "Herman's Head," "Dharma & Greg" and "The Big Bang Theory." Favorite films include: The Legend of Billie Jean, City Slickers, As good As It Gets, Waiting for Ophelia and the upcoming Virginia, written and directed by Dustin Lance Black. Her novel, I, Lorelei was published to critical acclaim by Harper Collins in 2009. She appeared in the original Broadway production of The Real Thing directed by Mike Nichols. She is currently in the Off-Broadway production of Love, Loss and What I Wore at the Westside Theatre. Her new shoe line, Marchez Vous, will be available in stores and online this Fall.

MARISA TOMEI. Marisa won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in My Cousin Vinny and earned her second Academy Award Nomination for In the Bedroom. Marisa received her third Academy Award Nomination for Darren Aronofsky's critically acclaimed indie drama The Wrestler. Recent credits include: Crazy, Stupid, Love alongside Steve Carell, Salvation Boulevard with Greg Kinnear, and Lincoln Lawyer opposite Matthew McConaughey. Being fiercely committed to the theatre, Marisa returned to the stage this spring in the critically acclaimed New Group revival of Wally Shawn's Marie and Bruce co-starring with Frank Whaley. In 2009, Marisa traveled to Ethiopia to direct a short film based on the Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl Wudunn's book Half The Sky. Marisa can be seen in Howard Zinn's documentary The People Speak alongside Josh Brolin and Viggo Mortensen and in Sidney Lumet's critically praised jewel heist drama Before the Devil Knows You're Dead alongside Ethan Hawke and Philip Seymour Hoffman (Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress). Other recent film credits include Cyrus with John C. Reilly and Jonah Hill; War Inc. with John Cusack; Factotum with Matt Dillon, directed by Bent Hamer; the box office hit Wild Hogs; and the Sundance favorites Loverboy (directed by Kevin Bacon) and Marilyn Hotchkiss. Tomei's diverse credits include What Women Want, Happy Accidents, Anger Management, The Guru, Slums of Beverly Hills, Welcome to Sarjevo, The Perez Family, A Brother's Kiss, and Unhook the Stars opposite Gena Rowlands (Screen Actors Guild nomination). Broadway credits include: Caryl Churchill's Top Girls and Oscar Wilde's Salome in the title role opposite Al Pacino. Her favorite theater credits include Will Eno's Oh! The Humanity and Other Good Intentions, Dario Fo's We Won't Pay! We Won't Pay!, Clifford Odet's Waiting for Lefty and Rocket to the Moon, both directed by Joanne Woodward, among many, many others. Tomei also starred in Noel Coward's Design for Living at the Williamstown Theater Festival. Tomei is a member of the Naked Angels Theater Company in New York City. Upcoming film: The Ides of March with George Clooney.

DUSTIN LANCE BLACK (Playwright, AFER Founding Board Member) is an award-winning screenwriter, director and producer. He won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Milk and was a writer and producer of the acclaimed TV series "Big Love." He recently completed his feature directorial debut, Virginia, and penned the screenplay for the upcoming J. Edgar, directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Leonardo Dicaprio. Black is also a noted equal rights advocate. He was a leading opponent of Prop. 8 during the 2008 election, was a featured speaker at the 2009 March on Washington, has spoken at scores of colleges across North America and Europe, topped The Advocate magazine's list of "Forty Under 40," and has repeatedly been listed in OUT Magazine's "50 Most Powerful LGBT persons."

JOE MANTELLO (Director). Directing credits include Other Desert Cities, The Pride, Pal Joey, 9 to 5, November, The Receptionist, The Ritz, Blackbird, Three Days of Rain, The Odd Couple, Glengarry Glen Ross (Tony nomination), Laugh Whore, Assassins (Tony Award), Wicked, Take Me Out (Tony Award), Frankie and Johnny in the Clair De Lune, A Man of No Importance, Design for Living and Love! Valour! Compassion! (Tony nomination). As an actor: The Normal Heart (Tony nomination), Angels in America (Tony nomination) and The Baltimore Waltz. He is recipient of Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk, Lucille Lortel, Helen Hayes, Clarence Derwent, Obie and Joe A. Callaway awards. He is a member of Naked Angels and an associate artist at Roundabout Theatre Company.

ABOUT THE AMERICAN FOUNDATION FOR EQUAL RIGHTS

The American Foundation for Equal Rights is the sole sponsor of the federal court challenge to Proposition 8, Perry v. Schwarzenegger. After bringing together Theodore B. Olson and David Boies to lead its legal team, AFER successfully advanced its case through federal district court and is now leading it through the appeals process. The Foundation is committed to achieving full federal marriage equality. AFER Board of Directors includes Chad Griffin (President),Bruce Cohen, Dustin Lance Black, Jonathan Lewis, Ken Mehlman, Michele Reiner and Rob Reiner.

www.AFER.org

ABOUT BROADWAY IMPACT

BROADWAY IMPACT is a non-profit organization of theatre artists and fans mobilized in support of marriage equality. Founded in 2008 by Tony-nominated performers Rory O'Malley (Book of Mormon), Gavin Creel (HAIR) and Production Coordinator Jenny Kanelos, BROADWAY IMPACT works to educate and inspire the theatre community into action. Recent initiatives include helping to staff the phone banking efforts in New York State, creating a 3,000 piece letter writing campaign, gaining the funding for 1,400 supporters to attend the National Equality March and producing a rally for over 5,000 attendees in Midtown Manhattan where speakers included, Cynthia Nixon, Audra McDonald, David Hyde Pierce, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and Governor David Paterson. BROADWAY IMPACT was awarded the 2009 Human Rights Campaign Community Award.

www.BROADWAYIMPACT.com