Jon Simmons attending an "American Voices - Spirit of Revolution" reading at the Broad Stage in Santa Monica in 2008. The cast included Dustin Hoffman, James Cromwell, Annette Bening, Rosario Dawson, Abdoulaye N'Gom, Richard Schiff, Elisa Bocanegra, Nate Parker, Teal Sherer, Ben Acland, Michele B. Chan, Wade Contreras and Vanessa Villanueva.