A one-night-only reading of "8," Dustin Lance Black's new play chronicling the challenge to California's Proposition 8, will be presented at 8 p.m. Sept. 8 at Civic Theatre of Allentown's 19th Street Theatre, 527 N. 19th St., Allentown.

Proceeds from "8," presented through a special agreement with American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER) and Broadway Impact, benefit the Pennsylvania Diversity Network.

The production of "8," directed by William Sanders, Civic Theatre's Artistic Director, includes Lehigh Valley LGBT activists and organizers Liz Bradbury, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Diversity Network; Adrian Shanker, President of Equality Pennsylvania; and Stephen Libby, Lehigh Valley LGBT activist.

The Civic production also includes Matthew Hogam, Aidan Nuell, JoAnn Basist, Bill Joachim, Will Morris, Josh Neth, Melisa Klausner, Tesia Nicoli, Will Windsor Erwin, Gary Gaughler, Sharon Lee Glassman, Barry Glassman, Sue Sneeringer, Troy Brokenshire, Jason Sizemore, Justin Brehm, Troy Brokenshire and Mike Febbo.

"8" is an account of the Federal District Court trial in Perry v. Schwarzenegger (now Perry v. Brown), the case filed by AFER to overturn Proposition 8, which took away gay and lesbian Californians of the freedom to marry.

On Feb. 7, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued a decision upholding the historic August 2010 ruling of the Federal District Court that found Proposition 8 unconstitutional.

Tickets: CivicTheatre. com, 610-432-8943