Show Overview
What the Constitution Means to Me
by Heidi Shreck
Winner: NY Drama Critics Circle Award: Best American Play!
OBIE Award - Best New Play
Does our Constitution, the symbol of American ideals promising freedom, justice, and equality for all citizens, truly serve “We the People”?
At 15, playwright Heidi Shreck earned her college tuition by winning debate competitions about the Constitution (sponsored by the American Legion).
In her hilarious, hopeful, and achingly human play based on those experiences, she documents how this founding document of our country informed and shaped the women in her family through four generations.
A boundary-breaking exploration that breathes new life into our Constitution.
(mature content advisory)
“Endearingly funny and deeply affecting, it would be hard to identify a work for the theater with its finger more on the pulse of America right now.”
– The Washington Post
“Uproariously funny, wrenchingly moving, critically challenging, and politically inspiring.”
– New York Book Review
7:30pm Weds-Sat;s and 2pm Suns, + Sat Oct 10
Oct 1–Oct 11, 2026
REMEMBER THE PRESHOW PARTY - FRIDAY OCTOBER 2!
run time approximately 100 minutes plus intermission
stay tuned for auxiliary events. Recommended for ages 13 & up. Parental discretion advised - mentions of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, and discussions of abortion. We recommend the show for ages 14 & up..
(Remember: Montpelier City Hall's Elevator is Now Working Once Again! And LNT is Air-Conditioned!!)
Production Team
Stars
Kianna Bromley as Heidi
with Michael Halloran as The Legionaire
and Josephine Taylor as the Student Debator
Directed by Jennifer Ann Sassaman
Designers:
John Paul Devlin (scenic & co-projections design)
Cora Fauser (costume design)
Charlotte Seelig (lighting & co-projections design)
Andrew Vachon (sound design)
stage manager: Bailey Johnston
And Our PRESHOW PARTY CHIEFS:
musician - Jim Thompson on piano
bakers & chefs - AnnaMaria DiPietropaolo, Emme Erdossy, Sophis Perez, and Susan Reid
decorators - Kim Bent, Kathleen Keenan, Brandy Perez
READ THE FULL PLAYBILL HERE
Scoop Info
Read What Our Creative Team Has To Say about the Play HERE
Get All the Juicy Details Here
READ THE TIMES ARGUS FEATURE ARTICLE
Quotes from the play:
"We all belong in the Preamble!"
"The fact is there was no way for the framers to put down every single right we have. I mean, the right to brush your teeth - yes, you've got it. But how long do we want this document to be?"
"The thing was to come up with a juicy metaphor...And so I came up with "The Crucible". That was my metaphor because I really liked witches and Arthur Miller and theaterMy mom approved of this metaphor.
Well, you see, a crucible is a boiling pot. That is one definition. But a crucible - it's also a severe test, a test of patience or belief. Our Constitution can be thought of as a boiling pot in which we are thrown together in sizzling and steamy conflict to find out what it is we truly believe."
"I thought, what if I really take it seriously? What has happened in my life that relates to the Constitution? That immediately took me to birth control. That took me to Roe v. Wade. That took me to the 14th Amendment and the Ninth Amendment. And then it took me to domestic violence.
I would say making the play kind of forced a reckoning."