Academy-award winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black (Milk, J. Edgar)—demystifies the debate around marriage equality by chronicling California’s landmark trial of Perry v. Schwarzenegger. Using the actual court transcripts from the landmark federal trial of California’s Prop. 8 and first-hand interviews, 8 shows both sides of the debate in this moving 90-minute play. That case, which sought to overturn the 2008 voter-approved Prop. 8 legislation that denied same-sex couples the right to marry, ultimately led to a California federal judge’s ruling that Prop. 8 was unconstitutional and unfairly discriminated against homosexuals.
The cast for the staged reading of Black’s 8 includes Gustavus students (Cameron Blair ’15, Brady Mueller ’15, Rob Ward’14), faculty and staff (Mark Braun, provost, Joel Carlin, Eric Carlson, Sean Cobb, Tom Crady, Thomas Emmert, Lisa Heldke ’82, Kurt Irvin, Rob Kendrick, Glenn Kranking ’98, Martin Lang ’95, Paula O’Loughlin, Melissa Rolnick, Amy Seham) and the special participation of Gustavus alumni, Andrea Gullixson ’10, Pastor Eric Gustavson ’66, Pastor Susan Peterson ’65, and Gary Rankila ’68.
The Sunday, October 14, staged reading of Academy Award-winner Dustin Lance Black’s new documentary play 8 will begin at 6:00 p.m. in Christ Chapel. The performance is free and open to the public. Tickets are not required for the reading or the discussion following the performance.