Westport Country Playhouse will present a Script in Hand playreading of the Obie Award-winning play “What the Constitution Means to Me” on Monday, Dec. 1, at 7 p.m., featuring acclaimed actors Nina Hellman and Jeremy Shamos, along with Jocelyn Shek. Written by Heidi Schreck and directed by Amanda Charlton, the one-night event brings the celebrated Broadway and Pulitzer Prize finalist play to Connecticut audiences.
A New York Times Critic’s Pick and Tony Award nominee, “What the Constitution Means to Me” blends humor and personal history to examine the ongoing role of the U.S. Constitution in shaping American life. The work mirrors Schreck’s own teenage experience competing in Constitutional debate contests to fund her college tuition, and explores how the document has influenced her family across generations.
“I’m so proud to share this remarkable piece of theatre with our Playhouse audience,” said Mark Shanahan, Playhouse artistic director. “Heidi Schreck has created a funny, heartfelt, and profoundly thoughtful play that asks us to look with honesty, humor, and compassion at the ideas that have shaped our country. At a time when our nation is so divided, this play reminds us how deeply personal our shared history is, and how vital it is that we continue questioning, listening, learning, and hoping for a way forward together.”
Hellman’s stage and screen resume includes an Obie Award for “Trouble in Paradise” and appearances in “The Blacklist,” “Search Party,” “Inside Amy Schumer,” and “Wet Hot American Summer.” Shek, a multidisciplinary theater artist and Harvard University student, previously toured nationally with the play from 2020 to 2022. Shamos is a Tony Award nominee known for Broadway productions including “Clybourne Park,” “Meteor Shower,” and “The Assembled Parties,” as well as screen roles in “Better Call Saul,” “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “Succession” and “Only Murders in the Building.”
Director Amanda Charlton has worked with Williamstown Theatre Festival, Manhattan Theatre Club, The Kennedy Center and other leading institutions. Liz Beatty will stage manage. The performance runs 95 minutes with no intermission and is recommended for ages 12 and up.
Tickets are $30 and are available through the Westport Country Playhouse box office.
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