Matters of the heart should hardly be a matter of legislation.

Still, Springs Ensemble Theatre’s newest production, “8,” takes a love story into the courtroom in two performances Saturday. Written by Academy Award winner Dustin Lance Black (“Milk,” 2008), the play pulls together transcripts, records and interviews from the 2009 trial of Perry vs. Schwarzenegger. The case eventually overturned Proposition 8, which established that marriage in California was defined as being between a man and a woman. A successful Hollywood screenwriter, director and television producer, Black is also founding board member of the American Foundation for Equal Rights.

“8” is a staged reading. There are minimal props, minimal costumes. The actors speak directly from the script, 98 percent of which is taken verbatim from actual court documents.

But it’s not just a history lesson or political diatribe, says “8” director, Steve Emily.

“We’re not a political company. When choosing plays, it really comes down whether or not it’s a good script and a good story.

“You run the risk of it being dry, but the laughs are there,” he says. “Humans are funny. And woven into the moments where there are a lot of tears, there are also a lot of laughs.”

Emily stumbled across the play one day on the Internet.

“I saw a headline about Brad Pitt joining the cast of a play and started doing a little research. The more I read, the more interested I was.”

After approaching his colleagues, Emily secured the rights to stage a reading, making Springs Ensemble Theatre the first Colorado-based theater company to perform the play. Adding the play to the lineup mid-season was an easy decision, one that was influenced by the way the community came together during the Waldo Canyon Fire.

“During the fire, every corner of this town came together regardless of their politics. This is another opportunity to take part in something.”

Following the play, there will be an audience discussion moderated by Colorado College religion professor David Weddle. Those from all sides of this debate are encouraged to attend. But with 100 percent of the proceeds donated to the American Foundation for Equal Rights, will there be a well-rounded turnout?

“That’s a tough call,” says Emily, who is an award-winning actor and director. “I hope we get a little of every opinion because we don’t want to preach to the choir.”

Presenting the material objectively is key to the play’s success. Written from a legal standpoint, transcripts from the trial show both sides of the argument. The voices of those either for or against gay marriage are heard. And during election season and at the tail end of the Chick-Fil-A president stand against gay marriage, the country may be ripe for dialogue.

“It feels like the people in this country have been yelling at one another from both sides of this issue, but no one has sat down and shut up long enough to listen,” Emily says. “This is a chance to do that.”