WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME to be Presented by Selah Theatre Project
Each performance will be followed by a hosted TalkBack, giving audiences the opportunity to reflect, ask questions, and engage in guided discussion.
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Selah Theatre Project is bringing one of the most influential contemporary American plays to the Shenandoah Valley this winter with What the Constitution Means to Me by Heidi Schreck, running January 22-25, 2026, at Stone Branch Center for the Arts. The production offers Warren County and Winchester-area audiences an intimate, challenging, and participatory exploration of democracy, memory, and personal history.
Rather than approaching the U.S. Constitution as a distant historical document, What the Constitution Means to Me places it firmly in the lived experiences of everyday people. The play blends memoir, legal history, humor, and live debate to examine how the Constitution has shaped generations of Americans often in uneven and deeply personal ways.
At the center of the story is Schreck herself, portrayed in this production by Joanna Schilling of Berryville. The play draws from Schreck's teenage years traveling the country competing in American Legion constitution speech contests to earn college scholarship money. As an adult, she revisits those speeches with clarity and skepticism, interrogating the promises of the Constitution alongside its omissions and failures.
Presiding over the constitutional contest is the Legionnaire, played by Will Speakman of Winchester, a character who represents tradition, patriotism, and institutional authority. Speakman sees the role as essential to the play's balance.
Each performance will be followed by a hosted TalkBack, giving audiences the opportunity to reflect, ask questions, and engage in guided discussion about the play's themes. Topics include constitutional interpretation, generational trauma, gender-based violence, and systemic inequality. Due to its subject matter, the production is recommended for older teens and adults.
The production also reflects Selah Theatre Project's continued growth and evolving presence in the region. While performances of What the Constitution Means to Me will take place at Stone Branch Center for the Arts, the company recently announced that it will open a permanent home in June 2026 at the old First United Methodist Church in Winchester, calling it The Vivienne L. Jackson Sanctuary for the Arts.
The new space will serve as a dedicated hub for theatre, community dialogue, education, and interdisciplinary arts programming. Named after the owner of this historic Ruth's Tea Room which was the subject of a play Do'zia wrote in 2023.
"This production is part of a larger season of transition and intention for us," Do'zia said. "As we prepare to open The Vivienne L. Jackson Sanctuary for the Arts this summer, we're thinking deeply about the kind of work we want to house there: work that invites conversation, courage, and care. This play is a strong reflection of that vision."
Performances of What the Constitution Means to Me will run January 22-25, 2026, at Stone Branch Center for the Arts. Tickets are $20 for general admission and $5 for high school students, making the production accessible to a wide range of community members. Each show includes a post-performance TalkBack.
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