On Wednesday April 10, the Phoenix Theatre Company opened their newest performance,

What the Constitution Means to Me, a one woman, one man show written by Heidi Schreck.

The play centers around her experiences as a young constitutional debater, with important interjections from her present self. Addressing themes like women's rights, immigration, and domestic abuse, Schreck uses her personal experiences to connect with the audience.

Since its 2019 broadway premier, this play spotlights a modern take on how younger generations interpret the constitution in a much more diverse American than generations before.

The play is set in an American Legion building, where Schreck would give her constitutional speeches to compete for scholarship money. The Phoenix Theatre Company features a wonderful wooden backdrop that perfectly captures the essence of an old legion building, with plaques on the wall, and a hanging version of the constitution.

Sitting in the background for most of the show is actor Rob Watson, who plays a legionnaire and is inspired by a close friend of Schreck. Dressed in a military side cap, his character serves as the officiator of the speech contest, and throughout the duration of the show.

In order to further convey the setting of the play, the audience is told to imagine that they are old white men smoking cigars, the typical audience for such speeches.

Kate Haas embodies a young Heidi Schreck by narrating her nervous inner monologue, as well as displaying energetic motions and movements with a smile on her face. This is contrasted with a present, adult version of her character who she also embodies to break the fourth wall.

By speaking directly to the members of the audience she exemplifies different groups of Americans who are not equally represented or protected by the constitution. She argues that because the constitution was not made for groups like women, or immigrants it does not effectively support these groups.

Among the fourth wall breaks is a story from Schreck about her history with abortion. She details the opinions of her younger self, as well as the reality she encountered when she found out she was pregnant at 21 years old.

Abortion is a topical issue in Arizona at the time of this show’s premier, due to a recent ruling by the Arizona Supreme Court to uphold an 1864 law that bans abortion in the state and punishes doctors who provide them. It is in these reviewers' opinion that this is a great performance for anyone to see, despite any prior opinionions they may hold.

As a segment of the play that was featured in the original Broadway production, a local high school theater performer, Kayla Treviño, joins Haas on stage before the curtain closes to hold a debate surrounding the future of the constitution. The two speak on the question of whether or not the constitution should be abolished and replaced, or whether we should continue to amend it as has been done since its creation. Treviño, one of three young actors who earned the opportunity to perform this role, is a student at Shadow Mountain High School.

In order to supply some crowd participation in the debate, each member of the audience was given a pocket copy of the US constitution for reference. Instructed to ‘woo’ or ‘boo’ at points made from each debater, the audience serves as the jury. One audience member is then selected to deliver a final verdict.

Tickets for What The Constitution Means To Me at the Phoenix Theater Company will be available through June 16 on their website, here.