Chance Theater Will Present WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME
What the Constitution Means to Me will run October 3 – October 26, 2025 on the Cripe Stage.
Chance Theater, Anaheim’s official resident theater company, just announced What the Constitution Means to Me, written by Heidi Schreck and directed by Project LaFemme Artistic Director Katie Chidester. Urgent, moving, and unexpectedly funny, this groundbreaking play asks: who gets a voice in our democracy, and how can we use it? What the Constitution Means to Me will run October 3 – October 26, 2025 on the Cripe Stage at the Bette Aitken theater arts Center.
Heidi Schreck’s timely, hilarious, and deeply felt play breathes new life into our country’s most important document. Fifteen-year-old Heidi paid her college tuition by speaking in (and winning) debate competitions across the country. Now older, she resurrects her teenage self to tell the story of four generations of extraordinary women in her family whose lives were shaped by the Constitution. Nominated for two Tony Awards and a Pulitzer Prize finalist, Schreck’s boundary-breaking play reimagines our founding document and considers how it will shape the next generation of Americans.
What the Constitution Means to Me is an unforgettable theatrical conversation that challenges how we see our laws, our country, and ourselves. With disarming honesty and sharp wit, Heidi Schreck bridges past and present as she confronts the ways the Constitution has protected, and failed to protect, everyday Americans. In a performance that shifts seamlessly from personal memoir to civic dialogue, Schreck creates a space for questioning, discovery, and hope.
What the Constitution Means To Me features an exceptional cast, with Aubrey Saverino (Tiny Beautiful Things, Matinicus: The Story of Abigail Burgess, Cry It Out) as Heidi, Robert Foran (Chance Resident Artist, Ride the Cyclone, The Vandal, Good People, Middletown, The Big Meal) as Legionnaire, and former Chance Speak Up artists Reya Shah (Chance debut) and Maria Wang (Chance debut) as the Debaters.
Director Chidester shares her excitement about the production, stating: “Bringing this powerful piece to the stage, at this moment in history, is such an honor. This is more than a play; it's a deeply personal journey through the promises and contradictions of our founding document. It invites us not only to look at history, but to engage with the present. And what is more American than including a democratic exercise as a part of every performance?”
The talented creative team includes Director Katie Chidester (Tiny Beautiful Things, Matinicus: The Story of Abigail Burgess), Scenic Designer Megan Hill (Fancy Nancy, The Musical, A Charlie Brown Christmas, A Wrinkle in Time, The Other Place), Costume Designer Gwen Sloan (Chance Resident Artist, Jane Austen’s Emma, The Musical, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Tiny Beautiful Things), Lighting Designer Kara Ramlow (Alma, Colonialism is Terrible, But Phở is Delicious, The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity), Sound Designer Kris Kataoka (Chance debut), Stage Manager Cynthia C. Espinoza (Chance Resident Artist, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Alma, Rent), and Dramaturg Karli Jean Lonnquist (Alma).
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