Prop. 8 draws celebrities to N. Hollywood’s El Portal Theatre

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Debra Messing, Zachary Quinto and Jason Alexander are some of the celebrities scheduled to be on hand Saturday, Sept. 12, at the El Portal Theatre for a one-night-only staged reading of 12 new short plays inspired by the debate over Proposition 8 in California.

‘Standing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays’ will feature original works by playwrights including Terrence McNally, Susan Miller, Jose Rivera, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Albert Innaurato, Kira Obolensky, Jeffrey Hatcher and more.

Also included in the cast will be Hamish Linklater, Clark Gregg, Dan Lauria, Peter Paige and Lisa Edelstein. (Chad Allen, who is listed on the poster, has had to withdraw from the show, according to a publicist.)

In an e-mail this week to Culture Monster, McNally explained why

he got involved with the production. ‘My spouse and I got ‘married’ in Vermont 5 years ago. It was a tremendously moving experience and raised the ante in what was already a great relationship a hundred-fold,’ he wrote. ‘I’m doing this because I believe full civil rights for gay men and women will never be achieved unless our personal relationships are recognized, dignified and legalized. Perhaps we cannot end society’s homophobia except by continued social intercourse — but we can definitely end legal homophobia with the stroke of a pen. It’s gonna happen, everybody knows that, so why any more delay is my question.’

The production is being organized by the Attic Theatre Conservatory’s director Brian Shnipper, who will also direct the production.

Each of the 12 plays will run several minutes in length and will address some aspect of gay marriage using a wide range of approaches including comedy, drama and high camp.

Tickets are going for $60 to $80, and the proceeds will benefit the Human Rights Campaign.

-- David Ng