Staged readings of Bert V. Royal's play will be offered Dec. 13-14 at the El Portal Theatre. Royral is the screenwriter of the Emma Stone comedy "Easy A."
The cast includes Daniel Franzese ("Looking," "Mean Girls"), Blake Lee ("Mixology"), Alex Saxon ("Finding Carter"), Camryn Grimes ("The Young & The Restless"), Lauren Collins ("Degrassi"), Willam Belli ("Nip/Tuck") and the original Dog Sees God Los Angeles cast.
The Gospel According to Matt: Confessions of a Teenage Dirtbag "revisits the most memorable characters and focuses on the emotional journey of Matt, in juvenile detention for his role in a gay high school student's suicide."
Dog Sees God, which pictured the characters of the Peanuts cartoon as teenagers struggling with drug use, suicide, eating disorders, teen violence, rebellion, sexual relations and identity, has been performed throughout the country. Many productions have chosen to donate proceeds to the It Gets Better Project.
"When I did press for Dog Sees God ten years ago, I very boldly stated that this play would be irrelevant in a couple of years. Unfortunately, that is not the case. But we ARE making GREAT strides," Royal said in a statement. "This play will, hopefully, allow us to explore regret, remorse and remind people that EVERY human life has value. (Especially needed these days…) I have been completely in awe of the work that the IT Gets Better Project has done since it first began and I am honored to be able to work alongside them to open up communication and figure out ways to inspire people to put aside differences and look to the future. This is absolutely a dream come true, both creatively and personally." The It Gets Better Project is dedicated to encouraging and improving outcomes for LGBT young people throughout the world.
The 9 PM performance on Dec. 13 will feature a special reception with cast members, playwright and representatives of the It Gets Better Project.
The El Portal Theatre is located at 5269 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood, CA. Visit itgetsbetter.org for tickets and more information.
