This play is sponsored by the California Civil Liberties Public Education Program, a state-funded grant project of the California State Library.
George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and Martin Sheen lead an all-star cast in this powerful portrait of an American civil rights struggle. In 2008, California's Proposition 8 stripped the freedom to marry away from gay and lesbian couples. Now, two of the nation's most renowned attorneys have joined forces to challenge Proposition 8 under the United States Constitution. "8" faithfully recreates the progression of the historic trial through court transcripts and interviews with the plaintiffs, as their stories are brought to life before a live audience.
Recorded before a live audience at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre, Los Angeles in March of 2012.
Sponsored by the American Foundation for Equal Rights and Broadway Impact.
Directed by Rob Reiner
Producing Director: Susan Albert Loewenberg
Brad Pitt as Chief Judge Vaughn Walker
George Clooney as David Boies
Martin Sheen as Theodore B. Olson
Kevin Bacon as Charles Cooper
Jamie Lee Curtis as Sandy Stier
Christine Lahti as Kris Perry
John C. Reilly as David Blankenhorn
Jane Lynch as Maggie Gallagher
Jesse Tyler Ferguson as Dr. Ilan Meyer
Matthew Morrison as Paul Katami
Chris Colfer as Ryan Kendall
Yeardley Smith as Dr. Nancy Cott
Matt Bomer as Jeff Zarrillo
George Takei as Dr. William Tam
Rory O'Malley as Dr. Gregory Herek
Cleve Jones as Evan Wolfson
James Pickens Jr. as Dr. Gary Segura
Jansen Panettiere as Elliott Perry
Bridger Zadina as Spencer Perry
Vanessa Garcia as Clerk
Campbell Brown as Broadcast Journalist
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
17 Apr 2026TRANSCRIPT
Denial (Part 2)
This play is sponsored by the California Civil Liberties Public Education Program, a state-funded grant project of the California State Library.
In Peter Sagal’s contest of intellect and wills, Abby Gersten, a tenacious civil liberties attorney, defends a right-wing Holocaust denier, arguing her case against a young, committed Jewish federal prosecutor. But Abby may have to sacrifice everything to prove that Truth and Justice do not always go hand in hand.
Recorded before a live audience at the Skirball Cultural Center, Los Angeles in July of 1999.
Directed by Jenny Sullivan
Producing Director: Susan Albert Loewenberg
David Clennon as Bernard Cooper
Tim DeKay as Ryberg
Harold Gould as Gomrowitz
John Randolph as Nathan
Kimberly Scott as Stefanie
Stephanie Zimbalist as Abigail Gersten
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
17 Apr 2026TRANSCRIPT
8 (Part 1)
This play is sponsored by the California Civil Liberties Public Education Program, a state-funded grant project of the California State Library.
George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and Martin Sheen lead an all-star cast in this powerful portrait of an American civil rights struggle. In 2008, California's Proposition 8 stripped the freedom to marry away from gay and lesbian couples. Now, two of the nation's most renowned attorneys have joined forces to challenge Proposition 8 under the United States Constitution. "8" faithfully recreates the progression of the historic trial through court transcripts and interviews with the plaintiffs, as their stories are brought to life before a live audience.
Recorded before a live audience at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre, Los Angeles in March of 2012.
Sponsored by the American Foundation for Equal Rights and Broadway Impact.
Directed by Rob Reiner
Producing Director: Susan Albert Loewenberg
Brad Pitt as Chief Judge Vaughn Walker
George Clooney as David Boies
Martin Sheen as Theodore B. Olson
Kevin Bacon as Charles Cooper
Jamie Lee Curtis as Sandy Stier
Christine Lahti as Kris Perry
John C. Reilly as David Blankenhorn
Jane Lynch as Maggie Gallagher
Jesse Tyler Ferguson as Dr. Ilan Meyer
Matthew Morrison as Paul Katami
Chris Colfer as Ryan Kendall
Yeardley Smith as Dr. Nancy Cott
Matt Bomer as Jeff Zarrillo
George Takei as Dr. William Tam
Rory O'Malley as Dr. Gregory Herek
Cleve Jones as Evan Wolfson
James Pickens Jr. as Dr. Gary Segura
Jansen Panettiere as Elliott Perry
Bridger Zadina as Spencer Perry
Vanessa Garcia as Clerk
Campbell Brown as Broadcast Journalist
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Inside a recent episode
8 (Part 2)
Published 17 Apr 2026 · Transcript excerpt
[…] But the question has to be, well, why does the government regulate this relation? That's a good question. Why doesn't it leave it entirely up to private contract? It is because this relationship is crucial to the public interest, because your Honor, the pro -creative sexual relation is an enormous benefit to society, and it represents a very real threat to society's interests. A threat? A threat, in the sense that to whatever extent children are born into the world without this stable, enduring marital unit and raised by both of the parents that brought them into this world, then a host of very, very negative social implications arise. […]
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