Review: Chance Theater Presents WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME

The current fragile state of, arguably, one of our country's most important founding documents—and whether or not some of our current leaders are legally following it—seems to be top of mind these days, which bodes well for the timely arrival of Chance Theater's latest production, playwright Heidi Schreck's semi-autobiographical 2017 Tony and Pulitzer Prize nominated play WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME, which continues performances in Anaheim through October 26, 2025.

In the mostly orated-through-monologues presentation, the compelling, seemingly caffeinated Aubrey Saverino holds our rapt attention playing author Heidi Schreck herself, a hyper-passionate, intelligent, and thoughtful TED-talk-qualified lecturer who spends most of the intermission-less play recalling with fondness her teenage years when she travelled across the country to participate in (and win) Constitutional debate competitions to earn college scholarship money.

Saverino—as Schreck—recollects moments from her past in front of a detailed retro set designed by Megan Hill that's meant to resemble a typical American Legion Hall multi-purpose room, complete with time-worn 70's carpeting and a back wall covered with black-and-white framed portraits of past Legionnaires (not coincidentally all men and all white). She is joined on stage by an (occasionally) quiet debate proctor (an amiable Robert Foran), a non-descript middle-aged gentlemen armed with a stop-timer who is meant to represent a vast array of typical overseeing Legionnaire staffers who held the position during various debates that took place at each of these halls.

Heidi's orations—which run the gamut of jovial to melancholy—explore how, in her view, the oldest written national framework of government in the world, the U.S. Constitution—particularly its 9th and 14th Amendments—has consistently shaped yet also failed to protect the lives of women, minorities, and marginalized groups throughout history. She does this by weaving together personal anecdotes, historical analysis, and pointed humor, which later culminates in a live, interactive audience-participating debate with an actual young student on whether or not the Constitution still serves (or doesn't serve) our nation adequately today.

Blending personal memoir, informative lecture, and performance art, the play—directed by Katie Chidester—examines the Constitution not as a static, sacred document but as a living, extremely flawed foundation of governance—one that has historically been more beneficial towards privileged white men while overlooking and trampling over the rights of others. By interlacing stories of Schreck's own family, particularly four generations of women affected by systemic inequities and violence at the hands of asshole males, Schreck humanizes constitutional discourse and makes it accessible and emotional—while still advocating for its big-picture strengths and potential.

The play's innovative structure—breaking the fourth wall and inviting real-time debate that encourages direct audience reactions—challenges viewers to think critically about the efficacy of the document as our nation evolves, and which people the Constitution protects and which people it leaves behind. 

As Schreck, Saverino, overall, is a superb storyteller, able to deliver seemingly endless pages of powerful dialogue with ease, eloquence, and convincing efficacy. Her snarky side comes through quite vividly when needed, wringing out the critical humor embedded in Schreck's text. Though, emotional moments get their due, too.

Although, admittedly, there were times during the first half of the play where I found myself intermittently finding my mind wandering away into a tangent as Saverino's character (who, funny enough, herself promised that the show won't involve tangents haha) espouses about portions in her life that I couldn't quite connect with at that moment, she does have a palpable rapport with the audience that works great with her chatterbox of a character. There's a fine line between cloying and engaging, and she seems to have found the right balance. 

Her most winsome overshares involve youthful pop culture references (younger Heidi loves Patrick Swayze), but her most compelling and passionately-delivered passages are the more trauma-leaning recollections of the specific women in her life that the Constitution didn't do right by. Her inner struggle stems from the fact that she is such a fangirl of the very document that has not been too kind to the women in her family and society at large.

Things do perk up a hundred-fold once the chipper Saverino breaks the fourth wall and sheds away her character completely (as does Foran) to introduce the audience to the "interactive" participation portion of the play, which features a "guest" young person who will join her onstage to engage in a live "spontaneous" debate with Saverino herself regarding the Constitution. 

For opening night, that pre-planned guest debater is young real-life local high schooler Maria Wang, a spunky, incredibly smart and sassy young lady who more than holds her own against her older seasoned opponent (and according to the program, Wang alternates in the "guest" role with another young high schooler Reya Shah during other performances). If Wang ever wants to pursue a future career in politics—or even acting—she's already well-trained for such gigs, judging by her excellent sparring session with Saverino that comes off as both adorable and disarming.

Up for debate: whether or not the current U.S. Constitution should be retained or completely abolished. A coin toss determines that Wang will advocate for pro-abolishing the document while Ms. Saverino take on the "keep it" side. The audience is encouraged to hoot and holler and verbally indicate out loud which side is making winning arguments oh behalf of their side, which kept things lively. 

As the pair volley their fair points with equal aplomb, the amped-up audience responds with cheers and jeers which is, I admit, a lot of fun to participate in despite its almost borderline pandering nature. At the conclusion of the debate, a sole audience member is chosen to, um, represent the entire audience's opinion on which side is the winner (there wasn't time, apparently, to just take a spontaneous "show of hands" poll). 

During the opening night performance, our selected jury foreman—conveniently seated in the front—is one of Chance Theater's own Producers who elected to keep the Constitution intact, which elicits some reactions from both sides. Personally, though, I thought Wang won the debate, but, then again, that entire exercise wasn't really designed to award a true winner but an attempt at communal engagement.

Ultimately, the absorbing crux of WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME is that it becomes both a celebration of civic participation and a call for more associative action, urging audiences regardless of political affiliation to confront the evolving meaning of democracy and justice in their own lives and to advocate for those that may not have the, uh, privilege to be as vocal. Using Saverino as both the document's advocate and critic, the play finds a balance that keeps things civil, academic, and even, at times replete with humor and emotion. 

The document in question may not be perfect, but neither are the people it is trying to guide along. Wouldn't it be in our best interest to find common ground within its sacred text?

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Photos from Chance Theater's production of WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME by Doug Catiller. 

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Chance Theater's Production of WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME continues on the Cripe Stage through October 26, 2025. 

Chance Theater is located in the Bette Aitken Theater Arts Center at 5522 E. La Palma Ave., Anaheim, CA 92807. For more information or to purchase tickets, call (714) 777-3033 or visit www.ChanceTheater.com.