ORLANDO — Heidi Schreck’s play What The Constitution Means To Me tackles a serious subject — can the document ratified in 1788 still protect the freedoms and rights of a very diverse nation today — and deals with it in a surprising comical, often riotous manner. Not all of the show is explicitly funny, but it certainly devotes far more time keeping the audiences’ in stitches than generating angered or frustration over the Constitution’s (many) limitations.
And it ends it in pure delight: a very lively and audience-friendly debate on a subject that doesn’t get bandied about much these days: should we repeal the Constitution and start over, or keep the only document that has guided this country since its founding? The theories behind both recommendations are surprisingly thought-provoking and complex. That’s what makes it fun.
What The Constitution Means To Me was the opening production of the Orlando Shakespeare Theater’s 36th Season. The production was hit by an unprecedented crisis last week when Hurricane Milton forced the cancelation of performances on Wednesday and Thursday. The Thursday night performance has been rescheduled to tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Orlando Family Stage. This final show is definitely worth catching.
What is the play What The Constitution Means To Me?
What The Constitution Means To Me is all about the Constitution — except that it’s actually about so much more. Playwright Heidi Schreck decided to devote an entire play to not only the history of the Constitution, but also how so many of the constitutional amendments contained within it impacted her personally — and millions of other women over the past few centuries.
Yes, it’s a document written by old rich white guys that originally applied mainly to white guys who owned property — not a very promising start for a diverse nation, right? The setting for the show is an American Legion hall in a rural town in Washington state, where Heidi grew up. She recalls entering a Legionnaire’s contest for the best presentation on what the Constitution means to me. That set off within her a lifelong fascination with the document, and how interpretations of it have changed as it made a long journey through the complexities of American democracy.
Gender equality, not surprisingly, was something that posed a unique challenge for a document originally drafted by white dudes for white dudes. The Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe vs Wade decision, for example, becomes a significant touchpoint in the play. The Court ruled 7–2 that a woman’s right to an abortion was protected by the 14th Amendment’s right to privacy, until that decision was overturned in 2022. Heidi takes us through her own very emotional response to that 1973 ruling — including the impact it had on her as a 20something who had gotten pregnant, unexpectedly, in a very conservative small town.
That’s an enormous part of the show’s appeal, the way Heidi brings the concepts behind these legal rulings and constitutional interpretations and applies them to her own life. Becky Baird delivers a marvelously engaging performance as Heidi; she’s brash, outspoken, someone who had always been very eager to please, but at the same time was adamant about not becoming a pushover. And she leaves the audience with a clear choice: you can either fight to ensure the constitution’s protections apply to all of us — or fight to get rid of it.
Quite a choice, isn’t it?
How is the Orlando Shakes’ Production?
In addition to Baird, there are funny performances by Paul Vogt as the Legionnaire who moderates his organization’s competition, and Tatriana Hinds as a teen debater who squares off against Heidi on the question of whether the Constitution has outlived its usefulness and needs to go, or if we’d all be a lot worse off without it.
The 90 minute show is often hilarious, effectively fast-paced, and brimming with clever ideas. When was the last time you sat down and asked yourself if you feel like the Constitution is doing what it’s supposed to do? If that thought hasn’t crossed your mind in a while, this play is likely to leave you with plenty to chew on.
Where Can I See What The Constitution Means To Me?
What The Constitution Means To Me will have its final performance tonight at 7:30 at the Orlando Family Stage, 1001 E. Princeton St. in Loch Haven Park. The show runs for 90 minutes without intermission.
Because of ongoing construction work being done at the Lowndes Shakespeare Center, the main home of Orlando Shakes, this production was moved next to the Orlando Family Stage. The Shakes’ next production of A Christmas Carol, which runs from Nov. 27-Dec. 22, will returned to the Lowndes Shakespeare Center.
Current ticket-holders for the Wednesday or Thursday show that got cancelled can call Orlando Shakes’ Box Office at (407) 447-1700 for additional information, or email BoxOffice@OrlandoShakes.org.
Michael Freeman is an Orlando journalist, playwright, and author of the book A Christmas Eve Story. Contact him at Freelineorlando@gmail.com.
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