Heidi Schreck’s Timely and Timeless Play WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME at Theatre West in January
3 min read
Theatre as an act of civic engagement
What the Constitution Means to Me is the award-winning and thought-provoking play that explores the profound relationship between the U.S. Constitution and the lives of American women.
Written by Heidi Schreck, What the Constitution Means to Me is an inspiring and often funny look at how the U.S. Constitution has shaped—and continues to shape—the rights and realities of women in America. Both timely and timeless, the play challenges audiences to consider what the Constitution means today and what it should mean for generations to come.
“What the Constitution Means to Me is one of the things we always say we want theater to be—an act of civic engagement. It restarts an argument many of us forgot we even needed to have.”— The New York Times
Cast and creative
Christian Wolf directs. He is the Artistic and Executive Director of Torrance Cultural Arts Foundation. In addition to over 30 directing credits, he is also a producer, playwright, and performer. He is also on the boards of directors for California Presenters and Western Arts Alliance.
Leading the cast as Heidi is Jessica Hayes, an accomplished actress, singer, and songwriter who has captivated audiences throughout Southern California. Her credits include performances at Laguna Playhouse, Long Beach Playhouse, and Knott’s Berry Farm. Hayes brings warmth, wit, and depth to this semi-autobiographical role originally written and performed by Heidi Schreck.
Brian Singer will take on the role of The Legionnaire. Singer’s extensive acting résumé spans theater, film, and television. His stage credits include Picnic, Light Sensitive, Noises Off, and Mister Roberts. On screen, he has appeared in the award-winning film Sweetwater, as well as The Bronx Bull and 9/11, and in national commercials for AT&T, Jeep, Verizon, and Lowe’s.
Rounding out the cast is Brooklyn Reiss as The Teen Debater. A talented 15-year-old sophomore from Mira Costa High School, Reiss already boasts an impressive list of stage credits, including Monsters, Newsies, Matilda, Annie, and The Music Man. In addition to her theater work, she is an accomplished dancer and member of a competitive dance team.
Performances of this production will also be presented by the Torrance Cultural Arts Foundation at Armstrong Theatre in Torrance on January 24 and 25. For tickets for those dates, go to www.TorranceArts.org.
About Theatre West
Established in 1962, Theatre West is celebrating its 63rd year as the longest continually running professional theatre company in the city of Los Angeles. It is a membership collective of actors, playwrights, directors, and technicians. Theatre West’s alumni members include Ray Bradbury, Jim Beaver, Beau Bridges, Richard Dreyfuss, Sally Field, Betty Garrett, Martin Landau, Lee Meriwether, Jack Nicholson, Carroll O’Connor, Sherwood Schwartz, Joyce Van Patten, and Paul Winfield. Theatre West has produced more than 300 plays and musicals. Of these plays, nearly 70% are original works developed in its workshops and many have led to Broadway, regional tours, and feature films including A Bronx Tale by Chazz Palminteri; A Very Brady Musical by Lloyd Schwartz and Hope Juber; Our Man in Santiago by Mark Wilding that transferred to Off-Broadway in the Fall of 2022; and our co-production of Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground that went to Broadway in 2023.
Theatre West is supported in part by The Ahmanson Foundation, California Arts Council, Peter Glenville Foundation, The Green Foundation, Kaplan-Loring Foundation, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture, Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, National Endowment for the Arts, Lloyd E. Rigler-Lawrence E. Deutsch Foundation, Sidney Stern Memorial Trust, Dwight Stuart Youth Fund, Leo Buscaglia, Comcast Universal, and L.A. Parent Magazine.
There will be two performances of What the Constitution Means to Me at Theatre West, 3333 Cahuenga Blvd. West, in Los Angeles, CA 90068. Tickets at EVENTBRITE.
*Special thanks to Philip Sokoloff PR.
