It was already set to be one of the most star-studded plays in history, and now it’s got even starrier as Brad Pitt has signed up for this Saturday’s staged reading of Dustin Lance Black’s play, 8.
He joins George Clooney, Kevin Bacon, Jane Lynch, John C. Reilly, Chris Colfer, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Cleve Jones, George Takei, Yeardley Smith, Christine Lahti, Jamie Lee Curtis, Matthew Morrison, Matt Bomer and others in the one night only event, which hopes to raise millions for the fight for marriage equality.
Black’s play is based on transcripts and interviews with those involved in the court case that sought to overturn Proposition 8, which banned same sex marriage in California. Brad Pitt will star as Judge Vaughn R. Walker, the man who found Prop. 8 unconstitutional.
Until now this incredible starry event looked like it would be limited to the lucky few who managed to snag a ticket to attend the reading at LA’s Wilshire Ebell Theatre. However, it’s now been announced that the whole thing will be livestreamed free on Youtube. The only snag being that as it takes place at 7.45pm LA time, that’s 3.45am in the UK.
Black wrote the play because he believes people need to witness what actually happened in the case, and the Youtube stream is part of that. “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 Black. “I’ve built my career around exposing and uncovering ‘the real story.’ The goal of 8 is to show the world that marriage equality is a basic constitutional right and that those who would deny this basic freedom from loving, committed couples have only vitriol and baseless hyperbole to fall back on. The facts are on our side and truth always finds the light. We are doing all we can to help speed that process along.”
You can watch director Rob Reiner’s announcement about the livestream here, and you’ll be able to return there on Saturday night to watch the star-studded production.
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