Omar Bennett
What the Constitution Means to Me is a play by Heidi Schreck that premiered on Broadway in 2019. The play is inspired by Schreck's own life and the history of the American Constitution. It follows the story of 15-year-old Heidi, who earned her college tuition by winning Constitutional debate competitions across the United States. The play explores themes such as women's rights, immigration, and the history of the United States. It received critical acclaim, with the New York Times calling it the best and most important new play of the season.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name of the play | What the Constitution Means to Me |
| Playwright | Heidi Schreck |
| Director | Oliver Butler |
| Genre | Tragedy, comedy, memoir |
| Themes | Women's rights, immigration, domestic abuse, history of the United States, "good immigrant" |
| Reviews | "Relevant, Intelligent, Absorbing, Thought-provoking, Clever", "Indelible, subversive, and audaciously funny", "Unique, stimulating, and exquisitely heartfelt", "brilliantly crafted show, harrowing and funny and humane", "not just the best play to open on Broadway so far this season, but also the most important" |
| Accolades | Two Tony Award nominations, finalist for the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, nominated for the 2019 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize |
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What You'll Learn
Heidi Schreck's boundary-breaking play
The play is a fascinating exploration of the Constitution's impact on Schreck's life, with the playwright herself taking on the leading role. It is a story of how a 15-year-old Schreck earned her college tuition by winning Constitutional debate competitions across the United States. The play shifts back and forth between the girl she was and the woman she has become, deconstructing not only the Constitution but also her younger, more naive views.
What the Constitution Means to Me is a brilliant mix of comedy and tragedy, protest and persuasion, and an act of civic engagement. It is a timely play that challenges its audience to step back and look at the bigger picture, exploring themes such as women's rights, immigration, domestic abuse, and the history of the United States. The New York Times' Ben Brantley noted that the "whirlwind, all-in-one-breath nature of the play echoes the breathless quality of a teenager's voice".
The play has received widespread critical acclaim and numerous accolades, including two Tony Award nominations, a finalist spot for the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and a nomination for the 2019 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize. It has been described as "indelible, subversive, and audaciously funny", with Schreck hailed as a "gifted writer" and a "monologist in a league with John Leguizamo and Spalding Grey".
What the Constitution Means to Me is an important and powerful work of theatre that has left an indelible mark on Broadway and continues to resonate with audiences.
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A chronicle of the legal subjugation of women
Heidi Schreck's acclaimed play, What the Constitution Means to Me, is a chronicle of the legal subjugation of women. The play, which premiered on Broadway in 2019, is a boundary-breaking, unique theatrical gem that traces the relationship between four generations of women in Schreck's family and the founding document that dictated their rights and citizenship.
In the play, Schreck resurrects her teenage self to explore the profound impact of the American Constitution on her life and the lives of the women in her family. She addresses themes such as women's rights, immigration, domestic abuse, and the history of the United States, shifting back and forth between her modern self and her fifteen-year-old self, who participated in Constitutional debate contests.
The play has been praised by critics as "a slyly crafted piece of persuasion and a tangible contribution to the change it seeks". It has been described as "a master class in contemporary feminism", offering a penetrating insight into the gaps in the Constitution where adequate protections for women should be. Schreck's performance has been hailed as "real and wrenching", and her writing as "gifted".
What the Constitution Means to Me is more than just a play; it is a brave and intimate act of civic engagement that challenges its audience to step back and look at the bigger picture. It is a timely and galvanizing work that has sparked important conversations about the legal subjugation of women and the ongoing struggle for equality.
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The play's timeliness and political relevance
Heidi Schreck's play, What the Constitution Means to Me, is a unique and timely work that explores the relationship between four generations of women in her family and the founding document that dictated their rights and citizenship. The play is based on Schreck's own life and her experiences winning Constitutional debate competitions across the United States as a teenager.
What the Constitution Means to Me premiered Off-Broadway in 2018 and transferred to Broadway in 2019, where it received two Tony Award nominations and a nomination for the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The play has been praised by critics for its timeliness and political relevance, with the New York Times calling it "not just the best play to open on Broadway so far this season, but also the most important."
One of the key themes of the play is the failure of the U.S. Constitution to protect women, which resonated strongly with audiences in 2018 during the U.S. Senate hearings to confirm Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court. Schreck's exploration of women's rights and the legal subjugation of women by men has been described as "a tangible contribution to the change it seeks." The play also addresses other themes such as immigration, domestic abuse, and the history of the United States, offering a unique perspective on the gaps in the Constitution and the ways in which it has fallen short of its promises.
The play's political relevance is further highlighted by its exploration of the idea of being a "good immigrant," which reviewers have noted is particularly important in the context of President Donald Trump's anti-immigration rhetoric. What the Constitution Means to Me has been praised for its ability to access "the political through the deeply personal" and for Schreck's engaging and penetrating insights into the U.S. Constitution.
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The play's exploration of the personal and political
Heidi Schreck's play, What the Constitution Means to Me, explores the personal and political through the lens of the US Constitution. The play is inspired by Schreck's own life and her relationship with the founding document that shaped her life and the lives of four generations of women in her family.
The play is a unique and timely exploration of the Constitution, with Schreck resurrecting her teenage self to trace the profound relationship between the women in her family and the document that dictated their rights and citizenship. As a 15-year-old, Schreck earned her college tuition by winning Constitutional debate competitions across the United States. This personal history is central to the play and provides a compelling framework for exploring the political.
The play addresses themes such as women's rights, immigration, domestic abuse, and the history of the United States. It has been described as a "tragedy told as a comedy" and a "work of inspired protest". Schreck's performance has been praised for its "real and wrenching" quality, with her ability to shift between her younger and older selves noted as particularly effective.
The play has been hailed as "not just the best play to open on Broadway so far this season, but also the most important" by the New York Times. It has been praised for its thoughtful craftsmanship and the skill with which Schreck relates her own history to the gaps in the Constitution where protections for women should be. The play's exploration of the personal and political is further highlighted by its inclusion of the idea of being a "good immigrant", with reviewers noting the importance of this theme in parallel to President Donald Trump's anti-immigration rhetoric.
What the Constitution Means to Me is a powerful example of theatre as an act of civic engagement, offering a hopeful vision for the future and contributing to the change it seeks.
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The play's history and critical acclaim
Heidi Schreck's play 'What the Constitution Means to Me' premiered on Broadway on March 31, 2019, at the Hayes Theater. The play is inspired by Schreck's own life and the history of the American Constitution. It is a unique theatrical gem that combines cheery didacticism with personal vulnerability, melding radical constitutional theory with genuine warmth and humour.
The play was first produced at the Wild Project in Summerworks, Clubbed Thumb's (New York City) festival for new plays in June-July 2017. It was co-produced by True Love Productions, which commissioned the play as part of their new play commissioning program. The play was presented at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, California, from May 3, 2018, to June 17, 2018, with direction by Obie Award winner Oliver Butler. An Off-Broadway production of the play premiered at the New York Theatre Workshop on September 12, 2018, and closed on November 4, 2018. It then moved to the Greenwich House on November 27, 2018, where it closed on December 30, 2018. The show began previews on Broadway on March 14, 2019, and has extended its limited engagement through July 21, 2019.
The play received critical acclaim for its thoughtful craftsmanship, with particular praise for Schreck's performance and writing. Critics described the play as "relevant, intelligent, absorbing, thought-provoking, and clever", "indelible, subversive, and audaciously funny", and "a slyly crafted piece of persuasion and a tangible contribution to the change it seeks". The New York Times hailed it as "not just the best play to open on Broadway so far this season, but also the most important". Ben Brantley of The New York Times noted that "the whirlwind, all-in-one-breath nature of the play echoes the urgency of its themes". The play was nominated for Best Play in the 73rd Tony Awards and was a finalist for the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
The play addresses themes such as women's rights, immigration, domestic abuse, and the history of the United States. Schreck performs some scenes as her modern self and others as her fifteen-year-old self, participating in Constitutional debate contests. The play's discussion of women's rights seemed particularly pertinent to audiences in 2018, given the ongoing US Senate hearings to confirm Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the US Supreme Court.
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Frequently asked questions
The play is about 15-year-old Heidi Schreck, who earned her college tuition by winning Constitutional debate competitions across the United States. The play traces the relationship between four generations of women in her family and the founding document that dictated their rights and citizenship.
The play was written by Heidi Schreck, who also stars in the leading role.
Ben Brantley of The New York Times said: "More artistic choice could have been taken in the production of the play; but the whirlwind, all-in-one-breath nature of the play echoes". The New York Times also hailed the play as "not just the best play to open on Broadway so far this season, but also the most important".
