Voice for Equality: Marc Shaiman

Marc Shaiman is an American composer, lyricist, arranger, and performer for films, television, and theatre. His film credits include Broadcast News, When Harry Met Sally..., Sister Act, and Sleepless in Seattle. Shaiman has earned five Academy Award nominations, a Tony Award and a Grammy Award for his work on the musical, Hairspray, and an Emmy Award for co-writing Billy Crystal's Academy Award performances. In 2002, he was honored with the "Outstanding Achievement in Music-In-Film" award at The Hollywood Film Festival, and in 2007 he was honored with ASCAP's Henry Mancini Award in recognition of his outstanding achievements and contributions to the music of film and television.

To protest the passage of California's Proposition 8 in November 2008, Shaiman wrote a satiric mini-musical called "Prop 8 — The Musical". The 3-minute video was distributed on the internet at FunnyOrDie.com beginning on December 3, 2008. It was written and produced in just a few days. The cast includes Jack Black (who plays Jesus), Neil Patrick Harris, John C. Reilly, Allison Janney, Andy Richter, Maya Rudolph, Margaret Cho, Rashida Jones, and other celebrities. Shaiman plays the piano and appears briefly on the video. It received 1.2 million internet hits in its first day. He discussed the creation of “Prop 8­–The Musical” in this Q&A. [Link]

On February 28, 2009, Mr. Shaiman participated as a featured star in Garden State Equality's 2009 Legends Dinner, the biggest benefit ever for marriage equality in New Jersey [Link], and he continues to be a creatively outspoken supporter of the freedom to marry.

Freedom to Marry salutes Marc Shaiman as a Voice for Equality!

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