It’s not often one attends a play and leaves with a wallet-sized copy of the Constitution of the United States, but playwright and actor Heidi Schreck’s autobiographical “What the Constitution Means to Me” isn’t your average theatrical endeavor.
For one thing, although the play is billed as a comedy, it’s much more than that. It does indeed have many laugh-inducing moments, but audience members should also be prepared to think deeply and shed a few tears along the way.
Six productions will be shown at the FireHouse Arts and Events Center on various dates through Sunday, July 23, as part of Bellingham TheatreWorks’ Fairhaven Summer Repertory Theatre.
Set at an American Legion hall in Wenatchee, Chelan County, the play toggles back and forth in time as Schreck — played with nimble, believable authority by Western Washington University alum Gabi Gilbride — discusses the years she spent earning money for her college tuition by winning Constitutional debate competitions across the United States. She channels her 15-year-old self to deliver a hilarious argument about the validity of the document and spills long-held secrets about her past.
A lectern with the backdrop of a giant American flag is the focal point onstage, and black-and-white framed photos of veterans flank the walls, visually reminding viewers of the responsibility of what it means to be a citizen of the country with the longest-surviving written charter of government (236 years and counting).
To lend even more heft to the setting, actor Adam St. John, sitting at a small desk below the lectern with his back mostly toward the audience, portrays the Legionnaire responsible for timing Schreck’s arguments and controlling the audience’s reaction to them. He’s curt but charming, and a necessary part of moving the action forward.
It probably won’t come as a surprise to hear Schreck’s take on the wonders of the Constitution changed exponentially from the time she was 15 to when she was an adult. As a teenager, she debated that women should have the ability to make decisions about their own bodies, but said she was personally opposed to abortion. At 21, she got pregnant while on birth control and quickly changed her mind.
It’s here viewers realize the Constitution played a part in the ability of Schreck to obtain an abortion in a state where the procedure was legal. But the script also points out it took a long while for government bodies to get around to legalizing it on a federal level — the same goes for amending the Constitution by giving women the right to vote and abolishing slavery, among other things.
Schreck debuted and starred in the Tony- and Pulitzer Prize-nominated play on Broadway in 2019, after Donald Trump was elected president, but before the pandemic and before Roe v. Wade was overturned. But the points it brings up about the Constitution and the ways it has morphed over the centuries while still being slow to protect women, people of color and LGBTQ+ citizens sting with truth (cue the tears).
When the lights come up after intermission, Gilbride — as herself — spars with recent Bellingham High School graduate Avery Horton, who’ll be going to Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, this fall on a debate scholarship. The topic the duo were given at the Sunday, July 2, show focused on whether the Constitution should be abolished and redone, or stay as it is. Flipping a coin, Horton was given the pro (keep it), Gilbride the con (rewrite it).
Both made strong, scrappy arguments, but the judge chosen by Horton — their debate coach at BHS — made a strong case for why Horton had the upper hand. The outcome will change for each show, which is part of the thrill. What also differs is that Gilbride and Horton sit for a few minutes to answer questions written by previous audience members.
The production, directed by Bellingham TheatreWorks’ Artistic Director Mark Kuntz, was followed by a community discussion with members of the Bellingham United Debate Club, League of Women Voters of Whatcom County, and lawyer Philip Buri. Moderated by Emily Machin-Mayes, messages of hope and despair for the future of the country were heard from Bellingham residents of all ages.
It’s worth sticking around for the remaining community discussions, which take place Sunday, July 9, following a showing of “Gidion’s Knot” with members of NAMI and M.A.D.H.O.P.E and Sunday, July 16, following “Keely & Du” with Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Services of Whatcom County, Whatcom Dispute Resolution Center, and Rep. Alicia Rule.
Each of the three plays chosen for this season of Fairhaven Summer Repertory Theatre features incredibly strong female characters grappling with pressing current events, and even if you only get around to seeing one of them, it will be well worth your while. In addition to getting entertained, it’s likely you’ll learn something along the way.
Find out more about the Fairhaven Summer Repertory Theatre offerings at bellinghamtheatreworks.org.
The original version of this story misstated the name of the moderator for “What the Constitution Means to Me.” The story was updated to reflect this change on July 5 at 5:50 p.m. Cascadia Daily News regrets the error.
