"Schreck has crafted a powerful argument that uses everything at hand: legal analysis, a dive into history, a consuming rage at sexual-assault statistics and her own very personal reasoning," wrote Helen Shaw in her five-star Time Out New York review. Written by Heidi Schreck; Directed by Oliver Butler. A full recording of Heidi Schreck's award-winning play will be available starting October 16. Iveson later morphs into “himself,” a modern-day gay man, constantly facing tests of his basic human rights yet still uncertain of his Constitutional rights. This impression is not helped by Heidi’s request, when she first appears onstage, that all in the audience “be” the white men who were the legionnaires at her youthful debates. Stay abreast of discount offers for great theater, on Broadway or in select cities. View our Privacy Policy. In the latter third of the play, Schreck invites real-life teen debater Rosdely Ciprian to the stage for a debate about whether the Constitution should be abolished and replaced. Director Oliver Butler helms with a steady hand that accentuates the unique aspects of this play that never quite feels like a play: The actors step out of their roles to share personal anecdotes, dressed in plausibly modern street clothes (costumes by Michael Krass). Her supernova energy is as infectious as it is disarming; we chuckle at her hilarious delivery right up to the moment she slaps us with some incredibly uncomfortable bit of information. All rights reserved. Coming as it did for me on the day that the Senate Judiciary Committee heard testimony from both Christine Blasey Ford and Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, What the Constitution Means to Me made it impossible to dispute that one man's pursuit of happiness is often another man's (or, more likely, woman's) personal hell. At the end of “Constitution,” the teenage debater randomly selects one audience member to act as jury foreperson and decide whether we keep or jettison the U.S. Constitution. “What the Constitution Means to Me” had a record-breaking limited engagement run at the Eisenhower Theater at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., where it played 15 performances immediately following the conclusion of the Broadway run, from September 11 through September 22, 2019. A revolution is brewing at New York Theatre Workshop. In 2017 when her play premiered, Schreck starred in it, taking it to Broadway in 2019. Want to know what’s cool in the city before all your friends do? After a week-long run at Clubbed Thumb's downtown Summerworks festival in 2017, the play moved to Off Broadway's New York Theatre Workshop in 2018 and then to Broadway in 2019, where its limited run was extended multiple times. © 2020 Time Out America LLC and affiliated companies owned by Time Out Group Plc. Then there's her grandmother, who lived under the daily threat of domestic violence she was too terrified and desperate to report. When: Through Feb. 28: 8 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays, 2:30 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sundays, Where: Mark Taper Forum, 135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, Running time: 1 hour and 55 minutes, no intermission, Tickets: $59-$175 (Prices are subject to change), Information: 213-628-2772, CenterTheatreGroup.org. CLICK HERE TO TURN ON NOTIFICATIONS. Oliver Butler directs. Schreck's near-solo show was one of the most unexpected and thrilling theatrical success stories of the decade. For instance, there's the tale of her great-great-grandmother, a mail-order bride who died of melancholia in a mental institution. Complimentary and Deeply Discounted Shows. Subscriptions to Amazon Prime Video cost $8.99 per month, but the better deal is to get it as part of a larger Amazon Prime subscription, which costs $12.99 per month (or $119 per year) and includes many other benefits. Schreck peppers her talk on the 14th amendment (the one that guarantees equal protection under the law) with a painful family history that illustrates how the promise of equality has so often fallen short. Déjà vu! If you see comments that you find offensive, please use the “Flag as Inappropriate” feature by hovering over the right side of the post, and pulling down on the arrow that appears. The usual trappings of theater easily fall away, leaving the performers and audience as just a group of people telling stories and sharing ideas in the room. Heidi Schreck's Broadway play What the Constitution Means to Me, a galvanizing exploration of how the political can be personal, will premiere on Amazon Prime Video on October 16, the streaming service announced today. Her appearances have since been granted to Maria Dizzia — an actor of great warmth, with the skills to make the material seem improvised and the capacity to keep a large audience thoroughly engaged in her ideas, whether she’s playing Heidi at a lively age 15 or speaking as a thoughtful adult. Try another? I left the theater with an electric current running through my body the likes of which I haven't felt since Hamilton. Eligible students can sign up for Prime Student, which costs just $6.49 per month, with the first six months free. This vet emcees the debate, unable to hide his pride in the well-informed young Heidi. Schreck brings her timeline into the 21st century by raising the 2005 Supreme Court decision Castle Rock v. Gonzales, which found that a town and its police department were not liable for failing to enforce a restraining order (a failure that resulted in the deaths of three young girls). Shreck makes us believe that the American Revolution is an ongoing project, that our frequent internal conflicts are how that revolution replenishes itself. Or, contact our editors by emailing [email protected]. The American Legion was genius in this respect: asking young debaters to state what the Constitution means to them. “What the Constitution Means to Me” is writer Heidi Schreck’s nearly two-hour, rather heartfelt, well-staged, beautifully delivered lecture centering on the one document holding America together. RECOMMENDED: Our day-by-day roundup of the best theater, opera and dance to stream online, What the Constitution Means to Me | Photograph: Joan Marcus, - 26 notable NYC restaurants and bars that have now permanently closed- 12 things New Yorkers do that are actually disgusting- The 8 rooftops now open with the best views of NYC- These striking numbers show just how much NYC has changed in the last six months- NYC venues and concert halls that have now permanently closed. Jen Schriever's lighting design keeps us focused on the stage while regularly invading the house and inviting us in. We learn of her great-great-grandmother’s immigration status, as a “good” immigrant from Germany, though purchased from a catalog. If you’re an avid theatergoer and you observe in the program that Rachel Hauck designed the set, you may wonder when this square, paneled room hemmed in by scores of black-and-white photos of legionnaires will split apart and become, say, Independence Hall, or the floor of the U.S. Senate, or a spaceship coming to rescue the greatly distressed among us. Fortunately, Schreck’s and Dizzia’s storytelling skills transport us. By signing up you are confirming you are 16 or over. Heidi Schreck's Broadway play What the Constitution Means to Me, a galvanizing exploration of how the political can be personal, will premiere on … The adult Heidi speaks to us from memory, ushering us back to 1989 and the American Legion Hall in Wenatchee, Wash. In “What the Constitution Means to Me,” which opened Sunday at Broadway’s Hayes Theater after premiering last fall at the New York Theatre Workshop, Schreck recounts her experience as a … As with our 12th Amendment, at least thus far, the popular vote does not decide the result. Not that anyone can resolve the issues she raises to the satisfaction of all. In high school, Heidi earned her college tuition by winning Constitutional debate competitions across the United States, coached by her mother. He's meant to be keeping time, but as he stares blankly through one of Schreck's filibusters, we know we've drifted away from the realm of strict reenactment. Oliver Butler directed the piece, with a cast that also includes Mike Iveson and two teenage girls with high-school debating experience. Unfortunately, the lecturing portions of Schreck’s script feel like just that: an evening at a noted-speakers series, a college 101 class, program notes to be read before a play. Of all the shows opening this season, Heidi's Schreck's What the Constitution Means to Me best captures the mood of the moment in our country. The teen answers a variant on “How do you see yourself 50 years from now?” Despite her lofty, legalistic, socio-political debating earlier, the teen dreams of a teenly basic need: a car. That's where Heidi Schreck is debuting her not-quite-solo play, What the Constitution Means to Me, an X-ray examination of our republic's founding document that brilliantly straddles the border between ode and indictment. On opening night, Rosdely Ciprian played her (Jocelyn Shek alternates in the role). What the Constitution Means to Me Overview - The BEST Broadway source for What the Constitution Means to Me tickets and What the Constitution Means to Me information, photos and videos.