Simone Lawson
Playwright Heidi Schreck's Obie Award-winning play, 'What the Constitution Means to Me', is a thought-provoking, hilarious, and touching production that delves into the relevance of the United States Constitution in today's society. Inspired by Schreck's own experience as a teenager giving speeches about the Constitution, the play explores the relationship between four generations of women and the founding document that shaped their lives. With discount tickets available for select performances at venues like the Copley Theatre in Aurora, IL, and the opportunity to save on fees with in-person box office purchases, 'What the Constitution Means to Me' offers an engaging and accessible theatrical experience that invites audiences to reflect on the Constitution's true worth.
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What You'll Learn
- What the Constitution Means to Me is a play by Heidi Schreck?
- The play is based on Schreck's teenage years giving speeches about the Constitution
- The play imagines how the Constitution can shape the next generation of Americans
- The play debates whether the US Constitution should be abolished
- Discounted tickets are available for certain performances
What the Constitution Means to Me is a play by Heidi Schreck
Playwright Heidi Schreck's What the Constitution Means to Me is a play that explores the United States Constitution's relevance in contemporary society and questions its ability to protect all Americans. The play is based on Schreck's own experiences as a teenager, travelling the country and giving speeches about the Constitution to fund her college education.
The play premiered on Broadway in 2019 at the Hayes Theater, with Schreck herself in the leading role. It has since been performed in various cities across the United States, including Berkeley, New York, Washington D.C., Los Angeles, and Chicago. The play has also been adapted into a film, premiering on Amazon Prime Video in 2020.
What the Constitution Means to Me delves into multiple facets of the Constitution, including the Ninth and Fourteenth Amendments, and their impact on the women in Schreck's family and herself. The play addresses themes such as women's rights, immigration, domestic abuse, and the history of the United States. Schreck presents conflicting views on Constitutional interpretation and the debate surrounding its continued relevance and ability to protect citizens.
The play has received critical acclaim, being nominated for Best Play in the 73rd Tony Awards and being a finalist for the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It has been described as "hilarious, touching, inspiring, and thought-provoking," showcasing Schreck's individual take on how citizenship shapes opportunities, choices, and existential beliefs.
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The play is based on Schreck's teenage years giving speeches about the Constitution
Heidi Schreck's play, 'What the Constitution Means to Me', is based on her teenage years giving speeches about the U.S. Constitution. When Schreck was 15, she travelled the country giving speeches about the Constitution at American Legion halls, libraries, and churches. Through these performances, she earned money for her college tuition.
In the play, Schreck narrates her experience as a 15-year-old, sharing her perspective on what the Constitution meant to her. She explores multiple facets of the Constitution, including its failures and controversial aspects, such as sexual assault, domestic abuse, and immigration, relating them to her family's experiences. Schreck highlights that the Constitution was not written to protect all Americans and discusses the ways in which it has failed women, including members of her family.
The play also includes a debate between two high school students, one of whom is Schreck, on whether the Constitution should be abolished or replaced. Schreck's views on the founding document shifted as she grew older, and she began to question its effectiveness in protecting the rights of all Americans, especially women.
'What the Constitution Means to Me' premiered in 2017 at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre in California and later moved to Off-Broadway New York in 2018 and Broadway in 2019. The play received critical acclaim and was nominated for several awards, including the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Awards. It was also adapted into a taped performance for Amazon Prime Video.
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The play imagines how the Constitution can shape the next generation of Americans
Playwright Heidi Schreck's boundary-breaking play, What the Constitution Means to Me, is an intimate and personal journey through her teenage years, when she travelled across the country giving speeches about the U.S. Constitution to pay for college. The play imagines how the Constitution can shape the next generation of Americans by exploring the relationship between four generations of women in Schreck's family and the founding document that shaped their lives.
In the play, Schreck resurrects her 15-year-old self, who earned her college tuition by winning Constitutional debate competitions. The audience is invited to examine the Constitution through the eyes of a 15-year-old and a 44-year-old Schreck, as she re-examines her own understanding of the document. Through this unique perspective, the play delves into multiple facets of the Constitution, debating its relevance in today's society and whether it truly protects all Americans.
The play traces the profound relationship between Schreck's family and the Constitution, spanning over 200 years. By sharing the stories of her mother and grandmother, Schreck dissects the document penned by the "founding fathers" and explores how it has shaped their lives. The play culminates in a live debate judged by the audience, where Schreck takes on a high school student to discuss whether the United States Constitution should be abolished.
What the Constitution Means to Me is a hilarious, touching, and thought-provoking play that has received critical acclaim and multiple award nominations, including two Tony Award nominations and a Pulitzer Prize finalist nod. By sharing her personal journey and inviting the audience to reflect on their own understanding of the Constitution, Schreck breathes new life into the document and imagines how it can continue to shape future generations of Americans.
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The play debates whether the US Constitution should be abolished
Playwright Heidi Schreck's multiple award-winning play, What the Constitution Means to Me, is based on her own life. The play revolves around Schreck's teenage years when she travelled across the country, giving speeches about the U.S. Constitution at American Legion halls to fund her college education. The play, set in an American Legion hall in a small, rural town, alternates between the present and 1989, with Schreck playing both her modern self and her fifteen-year-old self participating in Constitutional debate contests.
Through her personal journey and the stories of her mother and grandmother, Schreck dissects the U.S. Constitution, penned by the "founding fathers" over 200 years ago. She delves into multiple facets of this historic document, including the Ninth and Fourteenth Amendments, and addresses themes such as women's rights, immigration, domestic abuse, and the history of the United States. Schreck argues that the Constitution does not protect all Americans because it was not created to do so, focusing instead on negative rights and not limiting the actions of white men.
In Act Two, the play features a live debate between Schreck and a local high school debater on whether the U.S. Constitution should be abolished and replaced. This segment is unique to each performance, with the audience acting as the jury and a selected audience member delivering the final verdict.
What the Constitution Means to Me premiered on Broadway at the Hayes Theater on March 31, 2019, with Schreck in the leading role. The play received critical acclaim and was nominated for two Tony Awards, including Best Play, and was a finalist for the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
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Discounted tickets are available for certain performances
The play was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2019 and was nominated for two Tony Awards, including Best Play. It is currently showing at the Copley Theatre in Aurora, IL, with tickets starting from $86 for most performances. For example, tickets for the Wednesday, October 4 performance at 7:00 pm, and the Friday, October 6 performance at 8:00 pm are both available for $86. Tickets for the Saturday, October 7 performance at 2:00 pm are available for $89.
In addition, there are discounts available for theatre-goers who purchase tickets to the play at the Cleveland Playhouse. By using the code CPHP, patrons can receive a 15% discount on tickets to Grand Concourse at grandconcoursesotp.eventbrite.com.
Furthermore, members of the Theatre Development Fund (TDF) can save up to 70% on tickets to theatre, dance, and music performances. TDF also provides hearing-impaired patrons with lightweight, comfortable, padded ear buds and receivers at the Patron Services desk in the lobby of The New Brunswick Performing Arts Center (NBPAC).
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Frequently asked questions
Playwright Heidi Schreck takes us back to her teenage years when she travelled the country giving speeches about the U.S. Constitution to put herself through college. Through several stories and perspectives from different Americans, the play allows the audience to define the constitution's true worth.
You can find discounted tickets for the play on websites such as SeatGeek, BroadwayBox, and TKTS by TDF.
Theatre-goers who purchase a ticket to 'What the Constitution Means to Me' get a 15% discount to Grand Concourse. You can also save up to 50% on tickets at BroadwayBox. Additionally, members of the Theatre Development Fund can save up to 70% on tickets.
