Heidi Schreck's What the Constitution Means to Me
at PlayMakers Rep Explores the U.S. Constitution
Through Incisive Humor and Great Storytelling

Julia Gibson and Jeffrey Meanza star in Heidi Schreck's What the Constitution Means to Me at PlayMakers Rep (photo by HuthPhoto)

Heidi Schreck's What the Constitution Means to Me is not a lecture, and it's certainly not a snooze. The second production in PlayMakers Repertory Company's 2024-25 season wakes you up and sometimes slaps you about, as it explores the U.S. Constitution through incisive humor and great storytelling.

When the curtain rises, a middle-aged woman, dressed in a blazer, steps onstage. (Note: In the Broadway production, which opened in March of 2019, Heidi Schreck, the playwright, appeared as "Heidi" in the play.) She tells us that she paid for college by winning American Legion speech and debate competitions at age 15. Her award-winning speech was lost to time; and now in her forties, she wants to understand why she loved the Constitution so much.

Derrick Ivey's set is an exaggerated recreation of an American Legion Hall from Heidi's memory. She remembers the Legionnaires as old white men, smoking cigars, and kindly asks the audience to become those old white men, for the purpose of the performance.

One Legionnaire (performed with great heart and great skill by PlayMakers' associate artistic director Jeffrey Meanza) enters to moderate the competition. That's when Adult Heidi becomes Teen Heidi, who has lately been fascinated with the Salem Witch Trials and compares the Constitution to a crucible: "warm-blooded, and steamy." She claims that the Founders performed "a spell" and created a living document that would grow and adapt as society changed.

Julia Gibson stars in Heidi Schreck's What the Constitution Means to Me on Oct. 16-Nov. 3 at PlayMakers Rep (photo by HuthPhoto)

PlayMakers Rep resident company member Julia Gibson deftly and fervently plays the perky and bright 15-year-old. Gibson is a formidable talent, and we've seen her on the Paul Green Theatre stage many times, including Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike and Ragtime. What the Constitution Means to Me is not a one-person show, but Gibson is the central narrator, and the whole production sits firmly on her shoulders. Gibson makes the shifts from a 15-year-old to a 45-year-old and back again with great skill.

Gibson as "Heidi" embraces her topic with great energy. She shares stories about four generations of women in her family, and about how the Constitution shaped their lives -- mainly how it failed to protect them. She quotes original text, provides statistics, and incorporates interesting historical tidbits, all imbued with her own teenage interpretations and plenty of humor:

Heidi: (speaking about the Ninth Amendment): It's like when I was a little girl, I used to believe that I was a changeling. I mean, I still think I might be a changeling, but I'm going to go ahead and keep acting like a human being until my real family comes along to claim me. I would sit on the shores of Spirit Lake in the shadow of Mount St. Helens, and I would wait for my real family -- the swimming fairies -- to grab me by the legs and pull me under the water. And we would swim down deep, as deep as we could possibly go. And just when I thought I was about to drown, we would pop up in another lake on the other side of the world. And when I stepped onto the shores of this new land, I would finally understand who I really was. That is why I love Amendment Nine so much -- because it acknowledges that who we are now might not be who we will become. It leaves a little room for the future self. And we just have to hope we don't drown in the process of figuring out what that is.

Jeffrey Meanza stars in Heidi Schreck's What the Constitution Means to Me on Oct. 16-Nov. 3 at PlayMakers Rep (photo by HuthPhoto)

Halfway through the play, there's a noticeable narrative shift from an exuberant introduction to more of an honest, adult commentary, with a break-out monologue by the Legionnaire. The play shifts in form and mood, placing us in the story, taking us into a solemn moment, or an angry moment, and then lightening the mood by reminding us of what we've learned.

At the end of the show, Julia becomes Julia. And there's a live debate! PlayMakers has cast two rising stars: Amari Bullett and Taryn Melvin, to take the stage as the young debaters. For the Saturday, Oct. 19th, opening-night performance, we saw Amari Bullett from Northwood High School in Pittsboro participate with confidence and energy, challenging Julia on the issue, "Should we abolish the Constitution?" (Bullett and Melvin share the role, and appear on different nights.)

Julia Gibson (left) and Amari Bullett star in Heidi Schreck's What the Constitution Means to Me at PlayMakers Rep (photo by HuthPhoto)

Director Aubrey Snowden makes her mainstage directorial debut in this production. In the behind-the-scenes video, on PlayMakers' website and YouTube channel, Snowden sums up her vision: "Heidi chooses at this moment of her life when she's 15, because she's curious about why she loves this document so much. And in her investigation of the document and who she was when she was 15, she's asking a lot of questions. And when she's asking these questions, she's asking the audience."

Scenic designer Derrick Ivey has created a debate hall with a circular floor, and walkways that extend out into the house in the shape of a T. The combination of a circle and a T create the shape of the woman icon, which is relevant to many of the topics discussed. In the behind-the-scenes video, he explains: "There's an exploration of the space between the actor and the audience, and we really worked for moments when the actor may feel isolated and a little distant, and those moments don't last for long. But then there's the opportunity for the actor to move into the audience and feel more immersive."

It's no wonder that What the Constitution Means to Me is one of the most-produced plays in the nation. The play has received accolades such as a nomination for Best Play in the 73rd Tony Awards and a finalist spot for the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. In the month of October 2024, the Concord Theatricals website lists performances in 15 locations: from California to South Carolina and from Florida to Ontario. I can think of no better time to present this play to our community.

Taryn Melvin stars in Heidi Schreck's What the Constitution Means to Me on Oct. 16-Nov. 3 at PlayMakers Rep (photo by HuthPhoto)

Heidi Schreck's WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME (In Person at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 23-27 and Oct. 30-Nov. 3), directed by Aubrey Snowden and starring (in alphabetical order) Amari Bullett, Julia Gibson, PRC associate artistic director Jeffrey Meanza, and Taryn Melvin (PlayMakers Repertory Company in the Paul Green Theatre in UNC-Chapel Hill's Joan H. Gillings Center for Dramatic Art). DIGITAL PROGRAM: https://issuu.com/playmakersrep/docs/wtcmtm_playbill. RUN TIME: Approximately 2 hours, with no intermission. TRAILERS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KhoiJHCSzY and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgN7LKKS4vw. FEATURETTE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NtPDYBMIs4. PRESENTER: https://playmakersrep.org/, https://www.facebook.com/playmakersrep, https://www.instagram.com/playmakersrep/, https://twitter.com/playmakersrep https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayMakers_Repertory_Company, and https://www.youtube.com/@PlayMakersRepertory. 2024-25 SEASON: https://playmakersrep.org/season/2024-2025/. PRC BLOG: https://playmakersrep.org/about-us/our-blog/. VENUE: https://playmakersrep.org/about-us/paul-green-theatre/ and https://museum.unc.edu/exhibits/show/names/paul-green-theatre. DIRECTIONS/PARKING: https://playmakersrep.org/visitor-info/directions-and-parking/. WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME (2017 New York City, 2018 Berkeley Rep, 2018 Off-Broadway, and 2019 Broadway play and 2020 Amazon Original film): https://www.concordtheatricals.com/p/93589/what-the-constitution-means-to-me, https://www.nytw.org/show/what-the-constitution-means-to-me/, http://www.iobdb.com/Production/6610, https://constitutionbroadway.com/, https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/heidi-schreck-487972, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13096334/, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What_the_Constitution_Means_to_Me. THE SCRIPT (excerpts): https://books.google.com/. HEIDI SCHRECK (Brooklyn, NY playwright and screenwriter): https://playmakersrep.org/artists/heidi-schreck/, https://www.concordtheatricals.com/a/277/heidi-schreck, https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/heidi-schreck-487972, http://www.iobdb.com/CreditableEntity/38083, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1690593/, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heidi_Schreck. NOTE: On 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 27th, there will be an Open Captioned Performance and a Post-Show Discussion. NOTE 5: Arts Access, Inc. of Raleigh will audio-describe and American-sign-language interpret the show's performance at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 30th. PRC AGE RECOMMENDATION: "Due to mature themes, strong language, and references to physical & sexual violence, and abortion, we recommend this performance for patrons 14 and older, parent's discretion is advised...." TICKETS: $20 and up ($10 students and youth), plus taxes and fees. Click here to buy tickets. INFORMATION: 919-962-7529 or prcboxoffice@unc.edu. PLEASE DONATE TO: PlayMakers Repertory Company. Kurt Benrud's Triangle Review Review Permalink.

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