This coming Monday, Nov. 7, at 8 p.m., the Vineyard Playhouse will present a staged reading of Standing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays. And they will not be alone. At the same time there will be simultaneous readings of the play worldwide.

The one-night reading will take place in over 40 theatres and universities in 25 states. Some of the key exhibition sites are Texas, North Dakota, Florida and Michigan where both gay marriage and civil unions are banned. In North Carolina, where a staged reading is being prepared, a vote on a constitutional ban on gay marriage was postponed until 2012. In California, the original home to Standing on Ceremony, gay marriage was legalized, then overturned by Proposition 8 in 2008. Many other states where gay marriage is not yet a reality will also host presentations, and global presentations are to take place as far away as Sydney, Australia.

The event has the viral quality of the Occupy Movement. It started in Los Angeles as a series of benefits dedicated to gay equality. Conceived by Brian Schipper and directed by Stuart Ross, the show had a combustion of its own, eventually drawing in such award-winning playwrights as Moises Kaufman, Neil LaBute, Wendy McLeod, Mo Gaffney, and Paul Rudnick.

The Tectonic Theatre Project headed by Moises Kaufman added its own explosive partnership from full productions to readings, workshops and training for students. Its legacies include The Laramie Project, I Am My Own Wife, and The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde. Profits go to local, state, and federal equality organizations.

Previews are also about to unfold at the off-Broadway venue, the Minetta Lane Theater in Greenwich Village. Opening night will take place on Nov. 13.

At the Vineyard Playhouse, artistic director, MJ Bruder Munafo, will direct the reading. She is currently casting local actors and gay rights committee members.

The Playhouse has already blazed a trail with Tectonic’s prize-winning plays, including a 2009 production of The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later.

Tickets for the reading are $20. To reserve seats call 508-696-6300 or visit the playhouse online at boxoffice@vineyardplayhouse.org.