by Heidi Schreck
RHODE ISLAND PREMIERE
MUST CLOSE OCT. 13! |
"Brien Lang’s skilled, concise direction, coupled with Kinder’s superlative performance, makes for an inviting, illuminating theater experience, and accessible to everyone."
- Broadway World "Portrayed brilliantly by Charlotte Kinder...it's a show that should be seen and discussed." -EDGE Providence "Director Brien Lang has taken 'What the Constitution Means to Me' and brought it up close, personal, and relevant to Rhode Island audiences." -Warwick Beacon "Charlotte Kinder [is] wonderful – an always engaging Rhode Island-based actor with a likable stage presence and a mastery of the show’s extended monologue.” - Boston Globe |
"If I had my way, every high school student in the state would be required to see a performance of Heidi Schreck's "What the Constitution Means to Me," now on stage at Wilbury Theatre Group"
- Westerly Sun
*RHODE ISLAND PREMIERE*
WHAT THE CONSTITUTION
MEANS TO ME
MEANS TO ME
BY
HEIDI SCHRECK
DIRECTED BY BRIEN LANG
SEPTEMBER 26 - OCTOBER 13
HEIDI SCHRECK
DIRECTED BY BRIEN LANG
SEPTEMBER 26 - OCTOBER 13
Since its premiere in 2019, this Pulitzer Prize finalist has taken the theatrical world by storm, breathing new life into our Constitution by imagining how it will shape the next generation of Americans. As a teenager, Heidi earned her college tuition by winning Constitutional debate competitions across the country. In this hilarious, witty and refreshingly honest new play, she revisits her fifteen-year-old self to trace the profound relationship between four generations of women and the lasting impact of the document that shaped their journey.
This production of WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME is presented with support from Adler Pollock & Sheehan P.C., and audience members like you.
CONTENT WARNING
WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME contains mentions of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, and discussions of abortion and its stigmatization. For further information regarding these content warnings, please contact the Box Office at 401.400.7100.
This production of WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME is presented with support from Adler Pollock & Sheehan P.C., and audience members like you.
CONTENT WARNING
WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME contains mentions of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, and discussions of abortion and its stigmatization. For further information regarding these content warnings, please contact the Box Office at 401.400.7100.
Finalist! 2019 Pulitzer Prize
Winner! 2019 Obie Award, Best New American Play
Winner! 2019 New York Drama Critics' Circle Award, Best American Play
Winner! 2019 Off-Broadway Alliance Award, Best New Play
Nominee: Two 2019 Tony Awards, including Best Play
Nominee: Two 2019 Drama Desk Awards, including Outstanding Play
NEWS + REVIEWS
"If I had my way, every high school student in the state would be required to see a performance of Heidi Schreck's "What the Constitution Means to Me," now on stage at Wilbury Theatre Group — and so well directed by Wilbury Group resident artist Brien Lang. Actually, I'd see to it that every resident of Rhode Island of voting age — especially those with an interest in history and the Constitution of the United States and the men who wrote it — attend the show which is being presented at precisely the right moment — weeks before what many are calling the most consequential presidential election in the history of this country....Don't miss this important performance. You'll even find a surprise giveaway under your seat — a copy of The Constitution of the United States."
- The Westerly Sun
"Kinder’s performance throughout is outstanding, mastering the narrative shifts with remarkable ease and conveying the expected, appropriate emotion and attitude based on her persona. Whether the subject is Patrick Swayze or Antonin Scalia, her words are articulate, pointed, and profound. Waugh proves to be more than just a clock-watching showpiece in uniform when he delivers his own piercing monologue about male behavior. As the only man on stage, considering the much discussed male-centric Constitution, his speech and presence have a positive, reassuring effect....Brien Lang’s skilled, concise direction, coupled with Kinder’s superlative performance, makes for an inviting, illuminating theater experience, and accessible to everyone."
- Broadway World
"Through a monologue spoken as Schreck's 15-year-old self (portrayed brilliantly here by Charlotte Kinder), and herself 30 years later as an adult, the lead character speaks of her own experience of getting pregnant as a young woman, the abuse of her mother and grandmother by her grandfather, and her great grandmother's admission to a mental hospital and death at the age of 36. The narrative folds in observations about amendments that limit the rights of women and immigrants. It's a dose of history with grand arguments woven throughout....Brien Lang, who has directed many shows for Wilbury, has selected three excellent actors to not only speak Schreck's dialogue, but infuse them with the passion meant for "Constitution." It is a show that should be seen and discussed, and which highlights modern issues relating to our current political climate."
- EDGE Providence
"Wilbury’s 'What the Constitution Means To Me' strikes a chord... Good theatre can take many forms, and at its best will speak to its relevance in your life. Director Brian Lang has taken Heidi Schreck’s contemporary play 'What the Constitution Means To Me' and brought it up close, personal and relevant to its Rhode island audiences."
- Cranston Herald / Warwick Beacon
“What carries over from the Broadway production to this Wilbury staging is the very thing that earned ‘What the Constitution Means to Me’ its recognition as a Pulitzer Prize finalist...Under Brien Lang’s astute direction, it remains a charming and incisive analysis of gender and racial biases inherent to the U.S. Constitution...Charlotte Kinder [is] wonderful – an always engaging Rhode Island-based actor with a likable stage presence and a mastery of the show’s extended monologue.”
-The Boston Globe
"Providence students attend play about the Constitution ahead of Election Day...Officials said voter registration materials were also available for any students that will be turning 18 by Election Day."
-NBC 10 WJAR
"A compelling examination of the ongoing struggle for justice and equality in America....I was fortunate to interview Charlotte Kinder, the lead actor in the role of Heidi Schreck, Currently on Stage at the Wilbury Theatre Group in Providence. Charlotte is a native Rhode Islander, a graduate of the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in the UK, and a member of the Actors’ Equity Association. As well as performing roles at The Wilbury Theatre Group, her credits include Trinity Rep, Gloucester Stage, Moonbox Productions, O.W.I (Bureau of Theater) and the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company..."
- Interview w/ Charlotte Kinder in Warwick Beacon
"Photos: Rhode Island Premiere Of WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME At Wilbury Group...Wilbury Theatre Group kicks off their 2024/25 Main Series Season with the season opener by Heidi Schreck."
-Broadway World
- The Westerly Sun
"Kinder’s performance throughout is outstanding, mastering the narrative shifts with remarkable ease and conveying the expected, appropriate emotion and attitude based on her persona. Whether the subject is Patrick Swayze or Antonin Scalia, her words are articulate, pointed, and profound. Waugh proves to be more than just a clock-watching showpiece in uniform when he delivers his own piercing monologue about male behavior. As the only man on stage, considering the much discussed male-centric Constitution, his speech and presence have a positive, reassuring effect....Brien Lang’s skilled, concise direction, coupled with Kinder’s superlative performance, makes for an inviting, illuminating theater experience, and accessible to everyone."
- Broadway World
"Through a monologue spoken as Schreck's 15-year-old self (portrayed brilliantly here by Charlotte Kinder), and herself 30 years later as an adult, the lead character speaks of her own experience of getting pregnant as a young woman, the abuse of her mother and grandmother by her grandfather, and her great grandmother's admission to a mental hospital and death at the age of 36. The narrative folds in observations about amendments that limit the rights of women and immigrants. It's a dose of history with grand arguments woven throughout....Brien Lang, who has directed many shows for Wilbury, has selected three excellent actors to not only speak Schreck's dialogue, but infuse them with the passion meant for "Constitution." It is a show that should be seen and discussed, and which highlights modern issues relating to our current political climate."
- EDGE Providence
"Wilbury’s 'What the Constitution Means To Me' strikes a chord... Good theatre can take many forms, and at its best will speak to its relevance in your life. Director Brian Lang has taken Heidi Schreck’s contemporary play 'What the Constitution Means To Me' and brought it up close, personal and relevant to its Rhode island audiences."
- Cranston Herald / Warwick Beacon
“What carries over from the Broadway production to this Wilbury staging is the very thing that earned ‘What the Constitution Means to Me’ its recognition as a Pulitzer Prize finalist...Under Brien Lang’s astute direction, it remains a charming and incisive analysis of gender and racial biases inherent to the U.S. Constitution...Charlotte Kinder [is] wonderful – an always engaging Rhode Island-based actor with a likable stage presence and a mastery of the show’s extended monologue.”
-The Boston Globe
"Providence students attend play about the Constitution ahead of Election Day...Officials said voter registration materials were also available for any students that will be turning 18 by Election Day."
-NBC 10 WJAR
"A compelling examination of the ongoing struggle for justice and equality in America....I was fortunate to interview Charlotte Kinder, the lead actor in the role of Heidi Schreck, Currently on Stage at the Wilbury Theatre Group in Providence. Charlotte is a native Rhode Islander, a graduate of the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in the UK, and a member of the Actors’ Equity Association. As well as performing roles at The Wilbury Theatre Group, her credits include Trinity Rep, Gloucester Stage, Moonbox Productions, O.W.I (Bureau of Theater) and the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company..."
- Interview w/ Charlotte Kinder in Warwick Beacon
"Photos: Rhode Island Premiere Of WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME At Wilbury Group...Wilbury Theatre Group kicks off their 2024/25 Main Series Season with the season opener by Heidi Schreck."
-Broadway World
PRODUCTION PHOTOS
CAST + CREATIVE TEAM
Charlotte Kinder*
Madison Donnelly
|
Ricky Waugh
Hayley Pezza
|
What the Constitution
Means to Me by Heidi Schreck Directed by Brien Lang Scenic Design by Monica Shinn Sound / Light Design by Andy Russ Costume Design by Matt Oxley Asst. Direction by Ulrika Brand Stage Manager, James Kane* Assistant Stage Manager, Kerin Hagin Costume Assistant, Arianna Davey Front of House Management by Christine Treglia Volunteer Management by Renee Bessette Production Photographer, Erin X. Smithers Press / Media Inquiries: Niki Healy, Bright Publicity |
*Appears courtesy Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT
Heidi Schreck is a writer and performer living in Brooklyn. Her critically-acclaimed play What the Constitution Means to Me played an extended, sold-out run on Broadway in 2019, and was nominated for two Tony Awards. It had subsequent runs at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., the Mark Taper Forum, the Guthrie, Seattle Repertory Theatre and the McCarter Theatre, as well as theatres in Houston, Miami, Omaha, Nashville, Charlotte and Chicago. A filmed version of the play premiered on Amazon Prime Video, and was nominated for a Critics Choice Award, a PGA Award and DGA Award. What the Constitution Means to Me was named Best of the Year by The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, Time Magazine, The Hollywood Reporter, The New Yorker and more. Schreck’s other plays Grand Concourse, Creature, and There Are No More Big Secrets have also been produced in NYC and all over the country. Screenwriting credits include I Love Dick, Billions, Nurse Jackie, Dispatches from Elsewhere and shows in development with Amazon Studios, Plan B and A24. She is the recipient of three Obie Awards, a Drama Desk Award and a Theatre World Award, as well as the Horton Foote Playwriting Award and the Hull-Warriner Award from the Dramatists Guild. Schreck was awarded Smithsonian Magazine’s 2019 American Ingenuity Award, for her work in the Performing Arts.
ON SALE NOW
2024/25 Memberships
Join us at for Season 15 at Providence's home for groundbreaking artists and adventurous audiences. Membership includes admission to our 2024/25 Main Series productions and special events, including Rhode Island premieres of Heidi Schreck's What the Constitution Means to Me, César Alvarez's acclaimed new musical Noise, Christopher Hampton's translation of The Father: A Tragic Farce by Florian Zeller, James Ijames' Pulitzer Prize-winning Fat Ham, and more!
Become a Member for our 2024/25 Season today and never miss a thing.
Become a Member for our 2024/25 Season today and never miss a thing.
ABOUT
An award-winning*, not-for-profit professional theatre company, the Wilbury Theatre Group engages our community in thought-provoking conversation through new works, reimagined classics and adventurous playmaking. We are idealistic, ambitious, and stubborn in our resolve to create theatre that entertains, enlightens, and inspires.
*WINNER of the 2018 National Theatre Company Grant from the American Theatre Wing (The Tony Awards).
*WINNER of the 2018 National Theatre Company Grant from the American Theatre Wing (The Tony Awards).
