Watch What The Constitution Means To Me

What The Constitution Means To Me is an Amazon Studios original production that is a recorded version of a Broadway play of the same name. The play is written and performed by Heidi Schreck and is directed by Oliver Butler. The play explores the making and the meaning of the U.S. Constitution, with historical references and personal anecdotes.

The production is set up as a debate between two sides of Heidi Schreck, older and younger. Young Heidi is played by Rosdely Ciprian on the Broadway production, but in this version, Heidi Schreck herself plays. She is introduced to the audience as a fifteen-year-old girl who participated in constitutional debates and earned college scholarship money. She is then invited to talk about the Constitution and its impact on her life.

As Heidi takes the stage, she invites us to join her in a conversation where we will learn about the Constitution and also witness her grappling with how it affected the lives of the women in her family. She shares some rants, musings, and analyses on different parts of the Constitution that are not typically discussed in school curricula. We learn about the Ninth Amendment, the Thirteenth Amendment, and her personal stories of her mother, grandmother, and great-great-grandmother.

The production is captivating, and the set is straightforward, consisting of a few chairs and a podium. The simplicity of the set allows Heidi's reflections to be the primary focus, while the lighting and subtle sound effects keep us engaged. The audience is reminded that this is a live performance and that sometimes things don't go according to the script, and sometimes they do.

Schreck employs a conversational style, often breaking the fourth wall and addressing the audience directly, making for a more intimate theatrical experience. Her approach is full of twists and turns that showcase the power of the Constitution and its profoundness on the female experience, adapting and evolving over time. The show is structured in three parts that cover the legal history of the Constitution but also tackle contemporary issues like reproductive rights and domestic violence.

Alongside Schreck's captivating performance is Mike Iveson, who plays the role of the moderator. Iveson's character is an impersonal figure who, with its monotone voice, represents the patriarchy and the legal system. Through his portrayal, we see the impact that the Constitution has had on women and minorities, especially with his impartiality, showing the brutal limitations of legal language.

What The Constitution Means To Me resonates with an unparalleled level of genuine honesty and that, according to both critics and audiences, makes it a groundbreaking play. The production is an ode to the power of the Constitution in shaping the society of the United States, both historically and currently, as well as a critique of its most significant limitations. Schreck's voice reverberates loud in the halls of the theater, bringing her viewpoint to the ears and minds of all who listen.

Possible trigger warnings: domestic violence, discussions of women's health and reproductive rights.

What The Constitution Means To Me is a series that ran for 1 seasons (1 episodes) between October 16, 2020 and on Amazon Studios