When Heidi Schreck was 15 years old, she traveled around the country and participated in debate contests about the merits of the US Constitution, over time winning enough prize money to pay for college. What the Constitution Means to Me—which premiered at Berkeley Repertory Theatre in 2018, transferred Off-Broadway the same year, and opened on Broadway in 2019—is, in part, a memory play. Some moments are recreated from the fuzzy reaches of Heidi’s recollections of her time in debate contests, but others are the opposite: they are fresh and extemporaneous, made up of real arguments that the audience watches unfold in real-time. Schreck both wrote the play and starred as herself in the debut productions, sharing with audiences her deeply personal connections to the rights that the Constitution promises and the ways that it has also failed to protect her, the other women in her family, and all vulnerable groups of people. As much as Heidi’s stories are rooted in her own intimate history, theatres that mount subsequent productions are encouraged to adapt the play to their own actors, community, and the current issues of the contemporary moment. As well as critical acclaim, What the Constitution Means to Me won an Obie Award (2019, Best New American Play), an Off-Broadway Alliance Award (2019, Best New Play), and a New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award (2019, Best American Play). Additionally, it was nominated for the 2019 Tony Award for Best Play, and it was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2019. The Broadway production of the play was also filmed and released by Amazon in 2020.

This guide uses the version of the text published in 2020 by Theatre Communications Group.

Content Warning: This guide includes discussions about domestic violence, violence/rape against women, incestuous rape, child abuse, human trafficking, and abortion.

Plot Summary

The play takes place in an impressionistic rendition of the American Legion Halls in which Heidi used to participate in debate competitions about the merits of the Constitution. Heidi’s opening narration describes these rooms and her former place in them, as well as how the organization of the play will work. She notes that she was successful enough in these competitions to pay for college with her winnings. By reconstructing events from her memory, Heidi hopes to uncover her reasons for loving the Constitution so much as a teen. For much of the first half of the play, adult Heidi reenacts her experience as a 15-year-old debating the Constitution, though she occasionally breaks character to provide context and asides for the audience.

One of the challenges, Heidi explains, for her 15-year-old self was the expectation that debaters would emphasize their personal connection to the portion of the Constitution that she was assigned to discuss, as she was uncomfortable being so vulnerable and involving her own stories. Heidi, in the scene of a former debate competition, draws her topic, the first section of the 14th amendment, which promises due process and equal protection under the law, the right to move between states, and prohibits states from denying this federal right. Heidi talks about the generational trauma and domestic abuse endured by many generations of women in her family. Heidi’s mother and aunt had finally broken the cycle by testifying against their abusive stepfather, and the Constitution hadn’t protected them. She describes the Supreme Court case in which it was decided that police aren’t obligated to help anyone. To the Legionnaire onstage, Heidi is an enthusiastic speaker, gushing about her love for the Constitution. To the audience, she speaks about when she got an abortion, and the fear and shame she felt even though she knew that she had nothing to be ashamed about.

Playing the adult version of herself, Heidi talks about an underlying, automatic fear of men. Even when she doesn’t have any logical reason to be afraid, she feels the need to be agreeable, and she knows that the Constitution won’t protect her if she isn’t agreeable. Heidi’s friend, Mike Iveson, who has been playing the Legionnaire, drops his character and speaks to the audience as himself, explaining his similar experience performing traditional masculinity as a gay man. Heidi discusses learning about negative rights (protection from unconstitutional government actions) and positive rights (ensuring that certain rights will be fulfilled), prompting her to wonder if the Constitution ought to be rewritten. Heidi sees the younger generation as the future, capable of shining a light backward into the dark.

In Part II, Heidi stages an extemporaneous debate with a local teenager and champion debater, in which they argue about whether the Constitution ought to be abolished in favor of a new, positive-rights document. Then, an audience member is chosen to pick the winner. Afterward, Heidi and her opponent answer non-sequitur audience questions about themselves, always ending with a question to Heidi’s high school opponent about how she sees herself in the future. The student gives a hopeful answer that balances her ambition with a peaceful personal life.