In the wake of the passage of Proposition 8 last November, many of Hollywood's most recognizable names stood shoulder-to-shoulder in the streets with LGBT people to protest the voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage in the Golden State. Now, many of those same Hollywood A-listers are joining forces with some equally A-list playwrights to once again stand up and show their support for equal marriage rights vis-à-vis Standing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays, a staged reading that will benefit the Human Rights Campaign.

Standing on Ceremony, to be performed September 12 at North Hollywood's El Portal Theatre, is the brainchild of the Attic Theatre's artistic director Brian Shnipper, who conceptualized the event in response to the California supreme court’s ruling upholding Prop. 8. Spurred to action by the court’s decision, Shnipper contacted prominent American playwrights and asked them to create short plays addressing the issue of gay marriage in America and soon found himself with not only 12 superlative plays but a red carpet’s worth of talent lined up to participate as well.

Among those scheduled to appear in the one-night-only production are Jason Alexander, Eric McCormack, Debra Messing, Amy Brenneman, Darryl Stephens, Wilson Cruz, Zachary Quinto, Timothy Olyphant, Dan Futterman, and Alfre Woodard. This stellar roster of talent will bring to life a diverse collection of works from a list of award-winning playwrights that includes Terrence McNally, Susan Miller, and José Rivera.