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| Tami Dixon in What the Constitution Means to Me Credit: Kristi Jan Hoover |
If you’ve been
paying attention to the news lately, you may have come across the story of
Judge Charnelle Bjelkengren, nominated to serve on the U.S. District Court for
the Eastern District of Washington.
At her recent
confirmation hearing in the Senate, Senator John Kennedy, D-La., asked her to
explain Articles 5 and 2 of the U.S. Constitution, but Bjelkengren was unable
to answer the question. If a judge nominated to a federal court can’t provide
information on some of the basics of the Constitution, how little must the
general public know about its content, other than, perhaps, a scant familiarity
with the Second Amendment and maybe the First.
Pulitzer Prize
winning playwright and actress, Heidi Schreck, seems to have really done her
homework when writing What the Constitution Means to Me, now getting a run at
the City Theatre on Pittsburgh’s South Side. In the play, she explores how the
document governing the nation has impacted both her life and that of her
ancestors as well as society in general. It’s both a macrocosmic and
microcosmic scenario.
The largely
autobiographic play starts off at an American Legion post somewhere near
Schreck’s childhood home in Wenatchee, Washington. There she remembers herself
as a fifteen-year-old making the legion circuit earning prize money for college
by discussing the Constitution and its effect on her personal life.
She’s shown as a
headstrong girl with opinions to share standing in the middle of the stage
backed by an assortment of colorful flags. There, she’s watched carefully by an
elderly legionnaire (Ken Bolden) who monitors her every move seated in a chair
at the far end of the stage.
As befits a young
teenager, the script, at this point, has a jejune flavor but it also has its
insights into the Constitution, explaining the importance, for instance, of the
Ninth Amendment, which recognizes implied rights of citizens beyond those
specifically enumerated in the document.
Yes, you’ll learn
a lot about the Constitution in the play, but not in a stuffy, dry or academic
way. Schreck has a knack for comedy and humor, which is interlaced within her
narrative.
The play, which
has four parts if I counted right, moves on to where we see Schreck as a
42-year-old, where the tone gets more serious and thought-provoking. The
playwright narrates stories of her family, back to the days of her immigrant
great-grandmother, many of which tell tales of domestic abuse, an unwelcome
sexual encounter, the possibility of an abortion, of sexual harassment set
against a constitution and government that fails to protect them.
Unfortunately,
Tami Dixon, who plays Schreck in the City Theatre’s production, speeds up her
delivery when talking about specific sections of the Constitution to the point
where I had to strain to keep up with her monologue. Whether this was the
choice of director, Marc Masterson, or a collaborative decision with the
actress, I cannot say.
Dixon is
absolutely captivating in what is largely a one-woman show. Her energy,
confidence, poise and ability to engage with her audience is amazing. She’s all
over the stage, changing moods as called for, sad and angry when retelling
startling anecdotes about her and her family’s experiences or spewing out stats
such as the ones that claims that 10 million women live in violent households
and that four women are murdered each
day by their male partner.
At other times,
she glows with wit and humor, at ease and relishing the experience of being on
stage. She seems the perfect fit for the playwright’s penchant for including
interactive moments in which the audience is drawn into the play.
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| Ken Bolden as the Legionnaire Credit: Kristi Jan Hoover. |
One non sequitur
to watch out for is an all too brief vignette in which the legionnaire steps
into the fray, giving Dixon a short respite from her performance. Bolden is
absolutely stellar in the way he unfolds his story, a completely unexpected
tale that compliments Schreck’s focus on women’s rights by shedding light on an
allied issue affecting another of America’s minorities.
In another nod to
audience interaction, in what I deem the play’s fourth part, the play takes a
radical departure with a lively discussion between Dixon and Lamees Subeir, a
debate champion from North Allegheny High School. The two take opposite
positions on whether or not it’s a valid idea to abolish and rewrite the
Constitution. While they expound on the pros and cons of each side of the
issue, the audience is asked to respond with applause and shouts of approval
when they hear something they agree with, or boo and hiss when something
rankles them,
As an aside, I
remember one pundit, (it must be 40 years ago), who saw the need to rewrite
what he saw as an antiquated governing document. At the time, I was shocked to
hear such a revolutionary idea. This was even before the Bush-Gore and
Trump-Clinton elections in which the candidate with the largest popular vote
total actually lost the election and before the Electoral College shenanigans
of the 2020 presidential election.
Many people who
see the show might be uncomfortable with the way the playwright creates four
different, experientially diverse segments to her 90-minute-long play. It was a
new experience for me to see this rare form of play craft, but as one who
relishes novelty, I had no problem with it.
The author
certainly gives us plenty of what’s all too often called food for thought. But
with a skillful hand, she also entertains and provides plenty of humor and
levity. It’s enough to make me want to see the play again, or, at least, check
out the film of the same title on Amazon Prime Video, in which the playwright
stars as the main character.
What the
Constitution Means to Me, is at City Theatre on Pittsburgh’s South Side,
through February 12. For tickets and more information, phone 412-431-4400 or
visit website citytheatrecompany.org.
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