George Clooney is putting his significant star power behind the fight against Prop 8 by making an appearance in the aptly titled play “8.” The stage reading play, directed by Rob Reiner and written by Dustin Lance Black, chronicles the historic federal court trial overturning of Proposition 8, centering on the defense of gay marriage pressed by Solicitor General Theodore Olson and attorney David Boies.
The one night only run will be at Los Angeles’ Wilshire Ebell Theatre on March 3, with proceeds benefiting the American Foundation for Equal Rights. “It is astonishing that gay and lesbian Americans are still treated as second-class citizens,” Clooney said in statement released by the foundation. “I am confident that, very soon, the laws of this nation will reflect the basic truth that gay and lesbian people—like all human beings—are born equal in dignity and rights.”
The thoroughly researched play, which is co-organized by activist group Broadway Impact, moves west after a successful stage reading at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre in New York City starring Morgan Freeman, Ellen Barkin, John Lithgow and 18 other well-known actors.
This isn’t the first time Clooney has shown his support for gay marriage. When Proposition 8 originally passed in 2008, Clooney stated, “At some point in our lifetime, gay marriage won’t be an issue, and everyone who stood against this civil right will look as outdated as George Wallace standing on the school steps keeping James Hood from entering the University of Alabama because he was black.”
Photo: Courtesy of IMDB
