I don’t recall ever setting foot in an American Legion Hall before attending Ways and Means Theatre’s site-specific production of Heidi Schreck’s “What the Constitution Means to Me.” A Tony Award nominee and Pulitzer Prize finalist, the 2017 play draws on Schreck’s adolescent experiences of touring the country to earn scholarship money at speech and debate contests sponsored by local chapters of the veterans’ support and advocacy organization. Ways and Means, a newly formed ensemble, goes the extra mile for authenticity by staging the show at American Legion Tattler Post 973 in the North Center neighborhood.
In contrast to Broadway Playhouse’s sleek interior and Timeline Theatre’s detailed dramaturgical exhibits (the play has previously appeared at both theaters), this venue evokes a deeply familiar yet strangely distant slice of Americana. On opening night, the scent of popcorn wafted through the cozy bar area, where a few early customers watched the kickoff of an NFL game. Military recruitment posters, photos of service members and historic memorabilia adorn wood-paneled walls, above which the four pillars of the American Legion are prominently painted: Veterans Affairs, National Security, Americanism and Children & Youth.
During and after the performance, I kept mulling over that third pillar, Americanism, a word that’s been interpreted and co-opted in such disparate ways that it’s hard to find any sense of shared meaning these days. In this way, it resembles the U.S. Constitution itself, which Schreck characterizes as a living document that has enabled revolutionary progress while also having unjust limitations baked in from its inception. With the rollback of long-held constitutional rights in recent years, while others seem increasingly tenuous, what does this 239-year-old document mean to each of us? If you’ve never had to ask yourself that question, lucky you.
Schreck’s first-person play (in which she originally starred as herself) never comes off as dry or esoteric, though its format is modeled after a parliamentary debate. Part raw memoir, part passionate polemic, the monologue-driven show delves into the playwright’s personal and family stories, as well as U.S. history related to women’s rights — to the ballot box, reproductive care and protection from violence.
Schreck introduces us to her great-great-grandmother, Theresa, who arrived in what’s now Washington state as a mail-order bride and died of “melancholia” at age 36. We also meet her grandmother, Betty, who raised six children under the shadow of an abusive husband, and her mother and aunt, who testified against their stepfather in court as teenagers. Brave women, all.
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In Ways and Means’ production, directed by Kaeli Meno, four women play the role of Heidi at different performances: Anne Trodden, Amanda Roeder, Samantha Garcia and Salome Mergia. Founding artistic director Douglas Atkins explains in a program note that this casting approach aims to reflect Chicago’s diversity and to highlight how Schreck’s experiences, though autobiographical, transcend “racial, economic and systemic boundaries.”
You’ll only see one version of Heidi unless you attend the show multiple times. On opening night, Trodden performed the role with warmth, humor and apt notes of rage. While the character of Heidi has most of the dialogue, it’s not a solo show. Michael Lomenick appears in the dual roles of two real men from Schreck’s life: a WWII veteran who accompanied her and her mom to many of the debates, and Schreck’s actor friend who joined her in the original cast to play this elderly legionnaire. This layering of character upon character feels a bit convoluted sometimes, but it’s best just to roll with it.
Maddie Rose Curtin completes the cast in the role of an 18-year-old student debater. In the final act, she and Heidi face off in a live debate — with audience participation encouraged — over the question of whether the existing U.S. Constitution should be abolished. The play’s unconventional structure can be difficult to pull off smoothly, and Meno’s cast experienced a few hiccups natural to the first outing in front of an audience, but this didn’t detract from the show’s overall message.
“What the Constitution Means to Me” tends to land differently depending on current events, but the play likely will always have something to say about the state of our union. On this viewing, my first since Timeline’s 2023 production, Heidi’s discussion of birthright citizenship and due process — rights that are protected by the Fourteenth Amendment — felt more fraught than before. Also, the ongoing outcry over Cornell University’s handling of sexual assault allegations was front of mind during Heidi’s recitation of sobering statistics about violence against women.
If another theater company puts on this show in 2029, I can’t predict what the hot-button issues will be then, but I’m confident that it’ll be worth revisiting the question at its heart.
Emily McClanathan is a freelance critic.
Review: “What the Constitution Means to Me” (3 stars)
When: Through Oct. 25
Where: Ways and Means Theatre at American Legion Tattler Post 973, 4355 N. Western Ave.
Running time: 1 hour, 40 minutes
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Tickets: $42.25 at wam-theatre.com