[rating=5] Growing up, we learned about the Constitution. While I will admit in junior high and even high school, it was not something that I got into, but, since 2018 I began to pay closer attention to some of the details of said document. “We the people” is how it begins, but upon closer examination and the period of time where it was conceived, was it truly “We the people” or just “some” of the people?

In Heidi Schreck’s “What The Constitution Means To Me”, now being presented at Timeline Theatre, we are taken back to the playwright’s youth when she fell in love with the Constitution and debated its sections. The play that we see, directed to perfection by Helen Young , takes us to the American Legion Hall in the state of Washington. It is 1989 and she is a 15 year old who is going to be debating whether or not the Constitution and parts of the said document should be abolished or remain intact. Beth Lacke takes on the persona of Heidi and speaks to the audience as if we were members of the American Legion viewing and judging the debate we are about to hear. Ms Lacke is amazing in convincing us that this was indeed her story as she becomes Heidi.

Our moderator for the evening is a Legionnaire deftly played by Raymond Fox, who we later find out is not really a Legionnaire, but in fact an actor who is portraying the character because of his honesty and sincerity when Ms Lacke was growing up. The first section of the show, after we are given our instructions, is about the amendments that we need to spend time on and then Heidi draws a particular amendment which will be the focus of the actual debate. The 14th Amendment (ratified in 1868) came right after the Civil War ended and deals with freedom and rights.

This is the subject that is the strength of the piece and makes this production as relevant as it is. We are still dealing with these rights. Who can be an American? As we explore the actual sections of the amendment, one can think about who wrote it and what has taken place since 1868. During the show, Lacke goes in and out as the teen and herself as the playwright and then near the end, we get the second teen for the debate to end the show. The young ladies that handle this role are Sophie Ackerman and Makalah Simpson. We watched Makalah as the debater and she was terrific.

Each audience member was given a small booklet version of the Constitution so that we could follow along with the debate. We could hoot and holler, boo, applaud, and whistle. The debate was done just as one would expect and at the end, one audience member selected an envelope to either abolish or retain, opened it and read what it said. I will leave it here as every performance will have its own outcome.

When this production was done as part of the Broadway In Chicago series at The Broadway Playhouse, I thought it well done, but seeing it on the intimate stage at Timeline with a marvelous and very realistic set (Jessica Kuehnau Wardall) made me truly feel that I was at the legion hall, not a theater. The production itself was flawless and the debate itself felt truly real. I felt that I was back in civics at Glenbrook High School watching my classmates cover a topic that is as controversial today as it was back then. There have been a few minor changes since the original production, but nothing changes anything regarding Heidi’s story.

The beauty of Timeline Theatre is that they use their lobby to educate their audience, so come a bit early and you can vote as well.. The tech aspects of the production add in every way. Maggie Fullilove-Nugent’s lighting and Forrest Gregor’s sound are perfect and the costumes (Megan E. Pirtle) and props (Amy Peter) completed the package. If you are a history buff, you may find yourself seeking flaws, but I could not find any. With all of the recent political” stuff” we have experienced, this play has more relevance than when I saw the original, and I loved the opening announcements about turning off your phone, etc by a surprise guest announcer.

“What The Constitution Means To Me” will continue at Timeline Theatre located at 615 West Wellington Thru – July 2,nd with performances as follows: