‘What the Constitution Means to Me’ Is a Timely Narrative for Today

When Heidi Schreck was 15 years old, she paid her way through college by traveling through the United States and winning speech competitions about the U.S. Constitution. 30 years later, Schreck has brought her experience to the stage in the form of a (mostly) one-woman play, “What the Constitution Means to Me.”

Like 15-year-old Schreck, the Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-nominated “What the Constitution Means to Me” is benefitting from a national tour. Directed by Oliver Butler, “What the Constitution Means to Me” arrived at Emerson College’s Cutler Majestic Theater on Feb. 22, where it will run until March 20. The show is a funny, thought-provoking piece that both celebrates and criticizes one of the most significant documents in this country’s history.

While Schreck played herself during the show’s original Broadway run, Cassie Beck has now stepped into the role for the national tour. Beck brings a buoyant, breathless energy to her portrayal of a teenage Heidi as she pontificates at a podium, likening the Constitution to a witch’s crucible. Beck’s animated speech is enhanced by Rachel Hauck’s simple set design. Inspired by the American Legion Hall (“It’s reconstructed from my dreams, like one of those crime victim drawings,” Beck says), the walls are covered in portraits of U.S. veterans.

At the start of the play, Heidi asks us to pretend to be the old, white men who judged her speech and debate competitions. She speaks at length about the Ninth and Fourteenth Amendments of the Constitution, showing how the ideals of equal rights for the people have not, historically, applied to all of the people. Over and over again, the rights of women, people of color, and other marginalized groups have not been protected by the Constitution.

What begins as a high schooler’s speech eventually turns into a personal story about Heidi and the women in her own family, many of whom suffered from depression and were victims of domestic abuse. Beck speaks candidly to the audience as Heidi, bringing both humor and solemnity to the show when they are needed. She switches comfortably between speaking about losing her stuffed monkey at the airport and having an abortion. A recording of Supreme Court justices coughing uncontrollably as they discuss birth control eventually leads into the dizzying statistic that more women have been killed by a male partner since 2000 than Americans have died in wars.

Midway through the play, Beck transitions to speak as the adult version of Heidi. She then leaves the character of Heidi for a while and speaks as herself, telling the audience about her friendship with Schreck and her own relationship with the Constitution. Beck navigates these multiple character changes with ease, giving the audience a sense of intimacy with Heidi’s character and Beck herself. From her first sentence, the audience feels as if they are in a casual conversation with a close friend.

Beck brings to life Schreck’s exceptional writing. Heidi’s speech feels spontaneous, but behind its conversational tone is a tightly-written script. (“In spite of how it feels, this play is quite carefully constructed,” Beck says during the show.) The play manages to weave in nuanced arguments about immigration, abortion rights, and violence against women in one fell swoop.

While most of the show is a monologue by Beck and Beck as Heidi, she is not alone onstage. Gabriel Marin plays the Legionnaire, who counts down Heidi’s allotted time to speak and brings a humorous sense of urgency to the play. Later in the show, Marin also sheds his character and speaks about his own experiences with toxic masculinity.

One of the most entertaining parts of the show comes in its final act. High school debater Emilyn Toffler (who alternates the role with Jocelyn Shek) comes onstage to debate Heidi about whether the Constitution should be kept or abolished. At the end of the debate, an audience member is selected at random to decide the Constitution’s fate.

Although “What the Constitution Means to Me” was first performed in 2017, it still feels prescient today. It speaks clearly to the way that this 200-year-old document still sparks discourse about the United States’ modern issues. “What the Constitution Means to Me” is a remarkable show that both entertains and informs, truly helping the audience understand why the Constitution matters in their everyday lives.

—Staff writer Samantha H. Chung can be reached at samantha.chung@thecrimson.com.