Fishtank Performance Studio resident artist, Lisa Cordes, will premiere her new performance work, Prop 8 On Trial, in the Mainstage Theatre of the Lawrence Arts Center , in Lawrence, Kansas on Saturday, September 18 at 7:30 p.m. as part of their new play series. The production will be presented the following week at the Fishtank Performance Studio, 1715 Wyandotte, Kansas City, MO, from September 22-25 at 8:00 p.m. each evening.Saturday, September 18 7:30pm Lawrence Arts Center
940 New Hampshire, Lawrence, KS $15
Fishtank Performance Studio, 1715 Wyandotte, KCMO Shows:
Wednesday, September 22 8:00pm
Thursday, September 23 8:00pm
Friday, September 24 8:00pm
Saturday, September 25 8:00pm
Donations are accepted at the Fishtank on a sliding scale of $5-$15 at the door.
Prop 8 On Trial is based on the federal court case, Perry v. Schwarzenegger, challenging the constitutionality of California’s Prop 8 that banned same-sex marriage. The trial, and ensuing appeals, will go down in the history books as the civil rights case of a generation, stirring vigorous public debate along the way.
The “Prop 8” trial that began on January 11, 2010 in federal court in San Francisco is a landmark case that marks the first time in the United States' history, same-sex marriage was mentioned, let alone debated, by the federal courts. The June 16 final arguments and August 4 ruling in which Judge Walker ruled that Proposition 8 violated the United States Constitution have elevated the media attention on this case that will likely continue through its appeal in the 9th Circuit District Appeals Court.
It is widely predicted the case will eventually make it to the U.S. Supreme Court. While trials are inherently dramatic, the case prepared by Ted Olson and David Boies, nationally prominent attorneys who argued on opposite sides of the landmark Bush v. Gore, is a rhetorical Leviathan. By including the deeply personal stories of the gay plaintiffs and witnesses, they bring a
human dimension to their argument, buttressed by internationally renowned experts in the fields of history, psychology, sociology, and economics. The result is the raw material for a riveting piece of theater has been called by one journalist, “a theatrical classroom.”
