By Deb Hansen
If you thought that a play entitled What the Constitution Means to Me couldn’t possibly contain references to the Wonder Twins, Dirty Dancing, Jerry Orbach, and Picasso, think again. Somehow, the show utilizes all of those pop culture references and more, disarming you with laughter, allowing the substantial topic of our Constitution to settle in as the evening’s focus. Reston Community Players’ production begins with receiving your own pocket-sized copy of the Constitution, and ends with a spirited debate that asks us not just to consider history, but to wrestle with what democracy means today. From the beginning, this production pulled me in with its humor, compelling storytelling, and incredible performances.
As the show opens, we meet Heidi Schreck at age 15, touring the country to compete in constitutional debate competitions, discovering that she earned enough scholarship money to pay for her entire college education. The play then explores how the Constitution has shaped the lives of women and marginalized communities. Heidi breaks out of her youthful competitive moments, and we see Heidi as an adult, now offering a candid examination of where this “living document” has succeeded — and where it has fallen short. In case you are wondering, yes, Virginia, the American Legion National Oratorical Contest still exists and is held annually. It’s been a continuous program that has awarded over $3 million since 1938, focusing on high school students’ knowledge and appreciation of the U.S. Constitution.
Written and originally performed by Heidi Schreck, this play won numerous prestigious awards and accolades for its off-Broadway and Broadway runs, and was a finalist for the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It is based on her real experiences as a teen participating in the American Legion scholarship contest.
Claire O’Brien Jeffrey portrays Heidi at various ages, bringing both a wide-eyed innocence as a 15-year-old and an agonizing understanding of the harsh realities of adulthood as a more mature version. From her first words, Jeffrey charmed and amused the audience, bringing us along on her almost breathless moments as she declared Heidi’s love for the Constitution.
With a few subtle adjustments to her physicality, Jeffrey made it clear what age she was representing throughout the show. Lighting design by Cecelia Hilliard also helped to highlight a shift in Heidi’s timeline. These emotional shifts took the audience on an exciting ride; one moment we were delighting in Heidi’s joy, and the next brought us close to despair through Jeffrey’s poignant — and never overwrought — storytelling. Her command of every moment, whether through her voice, movement, or reactions to other characters, was grounded and mesmerizing.
Director Rikki Howie Lacewell kept the show moving along at the perfect pace as the hour and 40 minutes flew by. It is sometimes hardest to work with a script based on someone’s real-life story. Lacewell brought humanity and complexity to the forefront by having the actors utilize the simple yet effective stage set designed by Dan Widerski to support them as the stories began to unfold. Projections, also by Widerski, that underscored specific amendment verbiage and sound bites of various Supreme Court hearings, courtesy of sound designer Weston Weber, provided other ways for the information to sink in for the audience.
Doug Marcks brought a unique charm and counterpoint to the stage with his portrayal of the small-town Legionaire, affable at the beginning of the contest, and increasingly stoic and silent as he bears witness to Heidi’s evolution. Soon, we are introduced to Marcks in another shift in the show. Costume designer Otega Okurume’s spot-on choices for the Legionnaire/Doug allowed for a costume change in full view of the audience, further highlighting the character transition.
Doug shares some anecdotes about his early male role models, including his coaches and teammates’ parents; he then recalls his father’s ability to express tenderness, and how he encouraged the same in his sons. Marcks’ deft handling of these two disparate characters was compelling.
The final character in the show is an exuberant representation of the young Debater, filled with some of that same wonder we saw in young Heidi, but also a little less naive, played by Tori Mayfield-Brown. As Heidi says of today’s well-informed youth, “Sometimes I feel like you’re shining a light backwards into the darkness so I can follow you into the future.” Mayfield-Brown’s passion and pragmatism were the perfect combination to provide a sense of hope for the future. The succinct arguments in the final debate filled the auditorium with cheers of agreement from the crowd. It felt good to feel hopeful alongside other citizens who had gathered in the auditorium.
As director Lacewell states, “As we approach the 250th anniversary of the United States, this play feels especially urgent.… It reminds us that the Constitution is not an abstract document locked in textbooks or courtrooms, but something that lives in our bodies, our families, and our daily choices. This play doesn’t ask us to memorize the Constitution —it asks us to reckon with it … to honor lived experience alongside historical record, and to imagine what accountability, participation, and responsibility could look like if we truly engage.” Like most great theater, this production invites us to reflect — and to continue the conversation long after the curtain falls.
Running Time: One hour and 40 minutes, with no intermission.
What the Constitution Means to Me plays through March 29, 2026, presented by Reston Community Players performing at the Reston Community Center, 2310 Colts Neck Road, Hunters Woods Plaza, Reston, VA. Tickets ($25–$30) are available online.
The playbill for What the Constitution Means to Me is available for download here.
What the Constitution Means to Me
Producer: Katie Pond
Stage Manager: Lina Dajani
Asst Director and Asst Stage Manager: Sonja Dinkins
Technical Director: Dan Widerski
Properties Designer: MaryJo Ford
Master Electrician Cecelia Hilliard
