"8" brings to life courtroom drama over same-sex marriage

It won't star George Clooney as a recent Los Angeles performance did, but Dustin Lance Black's play chronicling the trial challenging Proposition 8 will be performed at Hartnell College in Salinas, one of dozens of campuses that will present it this year.

And CSU Monterey Bay has a role in it.

The university’s Health and Wellness Services is one of the co-sponsors of the July 20 production at Hartnell’s Western Stage. And CSUMB alumna Melissa Woodrow (TAT, 2011), a staff member at the theater, is the show’s producer.

Black, who won an Academy Award for his screenplay for the film Milk, based '8' on the trial transcripts of the 2010 federal court battle that dealt with the legality of the ballot initiative that outlawed same-sex marriage in California. Judge Vaughn Walker overturned the proposition, ruling that it violated the U.S. Constitution.

The production involves a 20-member cast reading from scripts on a courtroom set. Black is a former resident of Fort Ord, a graduate of North Salinas High School, and an alumnus of The Western Stage. “In March, I posted the YouTube video from the L.A. performance of 8,” Woodrow said. “I tagged Dustin Lance Black, and he replied with a suggestion that we do a reading this summer.” She researched the show and discovered that the American Foundation for Equal Rights – the nonprofit group that spearheaded the court case – and activist group Broadway Impact, sponsors of '8,' have licensed the play for readings on college campuses and in community theaters free of charge. “The Western Stage went through the procedure of applying for a reading, and we got July 20. In April, we got word that Lance would be available for a visit,” Woodrow said. Following the performance, a question-and-answer session will be held with Black and community partners. CSUMB’s Health and Wellness Services joins Hartnell Pride, American Civil Liberties Union of Monterey County, Marriage Equality of the Monterey Peninsula, Monterey County Pride, TGIF Monterey, Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays of Monterey County, the Diversity Center of Santa Cruz and other groups in sponsoring the production. “As long as injustice exists, the health and wellness of everyone is in jeopardy. Society is lessened as a whole because not everyone has equal rights,” said Caroline Haskell, director of the university’s Health and Wellness Services. Admission is free. A limit of two tickets can be reserved by e-mailing 8theplaysalinas@gmail.com or by calling 755-6816.

*Learn about Health and Wellness Services at CSUMB here.*