Review: WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME at Actors Theatre Of Little Rock

One of the things I love about The Actors Theatre of Little Rock is that they aren’t afraid to address the serious topics. During their short time of existence, they have covered race, sexuality, murder, the supernatural, Shakespeare, just to name a few. This time they are adding feminism and politics with WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME, which is the Central Arkansas debut of this autobiographical comedy written by Heidi Schreck and directed by Laura Sessoms Grimes. This play, which runs through Saturday, Sept. 21, in the Quapaw United Methodist Church basement in Little Rock, serves as a thought-provoking piece that invites reflection on the foundational principles of American democracy and their implications for contemporary life. Though it is not a true one-woman show, it does revolve around Heidi for the majority of the time.  

Heidi Schreck (Patti Airoldi/u.s. Amanda Gilmore) speaks to the audience and tells her story of when she was a Constitutional debater at the age of 15. She explains that her mother made it up so she could earn scholarship money from the Legionnaires. During the performance she switches back and forth from teenager to current age to give the audience a glimpse of what it was like while she was debating. She explores how the Constitution shaped her life, the lives of women in her family, and the lives of women in America. She reflects on key constitutional amendments, particularly the Ninth and Fourteenth Amendments, and examines how these laws have impacted issues like women’s rights, domestic violence, and immigration. 

Schreck also discusses personal family stories, including how the Constitution failed to protect her mother and grandmother from abuse, connecting these stories to the larger legal and cultural struggles for equality. The play moves between Schreck’s youthful optimism about the Constitution and her adult understanding of its limitations, engaging the audience in a critical dialogue about the document's relevance today. 

During all of this, she does have a friend to represent the Legionnaire (Michael Harmon) to help with the debate. When she is basically finished, Michael discusses his own take of how the Constitution influenced his life.  Then at the end, she does an actual debate with a local teenager. For my show, it was Piper Wallace, who did an outstanding job debating whether the Constitution should be kept or rewritten. Shriya Maddukuri alternates the days with Piper as the debater.  

The whole performance was moving. Airoldi was like a magician as she transformed back and forth from a teenager to adult right in front of us. She was engaging while walking us through the amendments, and she was heart wrenching as she spoke of her family and the issues they were going through. I was close to tears. Harmon added a nice touch as his character also gave a moving conversational speech about his struggles with growing up gay. It felt personal. We were all ready to give both of them a big hug.  

During the debate, it was serious. Piper always impresses me, but this time she meant business. She took the side of rewriting the Constitution while Patti said to keep the Constitution. They both took turns debating their side and given a rebuttal. Then they revised and concluded their points. They chose someone from the audience to decide who won, which this time it was Piper. I don’t know if that is always the case for every show, but she did have strong points. The only thing that would have made this better is if Piper and Shriya had an actual debate together. That would be fun to see.  

You still have a few days left to catch the show, so get your tickets. It will definitely make you feel more patriotic. By the way—have you registered to vote yet? Elections are coming up. Also, don't forget to try the Loblolly Creamery treat, specially made for this production.  This classic lemon sorbet is called Freedom Freeze, and it is tasty!

PRODUCTION/CREATIVE TEAM 

Producer – Mark A Burbank 

Director – Laura Sessoms Grimes 

Stage Manager – Dariane LyJoi Mull 

Technical Director – Sid McGough 

Scenic Designer – Dariane LyJoi Mull 

Costume Designer – Anthony McBride 

Lighting Designer – Sid McGough 

Props Designer – Ren Gudino 

Sound Designer/Engineer -- Steven Jones 

Light Board Operator – Dariane LyJoi Mull 

Sound Board Operator – Lucy Holman 

Electrician – Charles Ballard 

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