George Clooney has signed on to star in the West Coast premiere of 8, a stage play chronicling the historic federal court trial overturning Proposition 8, the ballot measure that denied gay and lesbian Californians the right to marry.
The production, which is being directed by Rob Reiner and was written by Dustin Lance Black, will run for one night only at Los Angeles’ Wilshire Ebell Theatre on March 3, 2012.
Proceeds will benefit the American Foundation for Equal Rights.
“It is astonishing that gay and lesbian Americans are still treated as second-class citizens,” Clooney said. “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 show also ran in New York in September with Morgan Freeman, Ellen Barkin, John Lithgow and Bradley Whitford.
Additional cast and ticketing information is expected to become available in the coming weeks.