I sat down in the Science building auditorium. I watched the lights dim, voices quieted. Before the play started, a “Yes on Proposition 8” commercial came on. It would set the mood for what the rest of the night would be like.
On Friday the 29th of March, at 7:30 PM and Saturday the 30th at 2 PM, UVU hosted the play “8,” in the Science building auditorium. The play “8” was about the proposition 8 in California. The character’s read direct excerpts from what happened in the court and interviews with the particular people portrayed in the play.
The characters were played by all different types of people. Such as Emma Christopherson, a freshman at UVU studying theater, who played Kris Perry, a lesbian mother in her forties. Christopherson explained how she took the part not really knowing what she was getting into, but she was glad she did it.
Another character who also didn’t seem to fit the actor, played by Amber Cummings, a student at UVU since 2010, was Maggie Gallagher a woman known for her anti-homosexual views.
“It was weird because my view is so different,” Cummings said, and added humorously, “but our personalities are the same.”
During the play Cummings as Gallagher and David Beach, the director of the production, as Evan Wolfson were stuck in a heated discussion that Cummings painfully took over. She, like what Gallagher had done, refused to let Wolfson speak more than just a few words.
After the play, along with Cummings, a few other actors and various other supporters of Spectrum and the LGBT community took part in a questionnaire done by the moderator, Janine Sobeck, and later also by some of the audience members.
Sometime around ten, the questions ended. I noticed how many audience members stayed behind to congratulate the workers for the play. There was a warm, family feeling about it.
Beach told me how pleased he was with the turn out, though, like any other director or actor more is always better. Especially considering the problems there were on set. Several people dropped out of the play before it was complete, leaving the rest worried if they would get it filled. Luckily, it didn’t take long for students to take part. Everyone seemed to want a spot, even some from BYU.
One such student named James Price is a student who attends BYU. He played David Boies, an openly gay man fighting prop 8, and like Boies, Price, like Boies has also had some hardships. One such occasion happened when he was coming home and found a note on his door.
“[It said] Get out of BYU, faggot.” Price said.
The note didn’t deter him. In fact, he later tells how because of that he wants to keep attending BYU. The anger and passion that may have occurred because of this realty was possibility channeled through his character, and only made the play that much more personal.
Benjamin Cluck, an audience and student at UVU, agrees how good the play was. He told me this was his second time seeing the play. His first time was because of the Plan B theater company.
“This was great.” Cluck said after the play.
He didn’t specify whether or not he would return for Saturday night’s show, but given the fact that he already watched it two other times and the fact the show was great and well put together, I wouldn’t be surprised if he had.
