Playwright Heidi Schreck’s boundary-breaking play, What the Constitution Means to Me, is a playful and incisive analysis of gender and racial biases inherent to the U.S. Constitution that examines how this living document could evolve to fit modern America. The piece is based on the experiences of fifteen-year-old Heidi Schreck, who put herself through college by giving speeches about the U.S. Constitution. Now, she resurrects her teenage self to trace the document’s profound impact on women’s bodies—starting with her great-great-grandmother, a mail-order bride who died under mysterious circumstances. Each show is followed by a live debate and panel of community leaders for Q&A.
Showtimes:
Thursday August 15, 7:30pm
Friday August 16, 7:30pm
Saturday August 17, 2:00pm & 7:30pm
Sunday August 18, 2:00pm
The play is about Schreck’s family history and the history of the United States.
It’s about what exclusion from the Constitution has meant for women, people of color and LGBTQIA+ people. It brings up issues including Constitutional rights, domestic violence, reproductive rights and immigration.
But it’s also really entertaining, funny and soul-restoring.
As described by Jesse Green in a New York Times review of the original production:
“Least of all is the play grim. After forcing you to consider for 80 minutes whether your civics class enthusiasm for the Constitution is still defensible,
Ms. Schreck introduces a 20-minute coda that includes a live debate on the subject. (Topic: Should We Abolish the U.S. Constitution?)
That they are debating at all is an antidote to grimness. It’s also an instance of theatrical activism at its purest, modeling the world the play hopes to achieve:
one in which even first principles are open to vigorous, orderly debate, and in which all stakeholders, not just powerful ones, are invited to the podium.”
With the election coming up in November, it’s an ideal time to discuss these issues and maybe ignite some action and hope for the future.