Finalist! 2019 Pulitzer Prize Winner! 2019 Obie Award, Best New American PlayWinner! 2019 New York Drama Critics' Circle Award, Best American PlayWinner! 2019 Off-Broadway Alliance Award, Best New PlayNominee: Two 2019 Tony Awards, including Best PlayNominee: Two 2019 Drama Desk Awards, including Outstanding Play
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Finalist! 2019 Pulitzer Prize Winner! 2019 Obie Award, Best New American PlayWinner! 2019 New York Drama Critics' Circle Award, Best American PlayWinner! 2019 Off-Broadway Alliance Award, Best New PlayNominee: Two 2019 Tony Awards, including Best PlayNominee: Two 2019 Drama Desk Awards, including Outstanding Play *
What the Constitution Means to Me
July 12 – July 27, 2025
Previews begin July 5 - July 11
By Heidi Schreck
Directed by Emma Shafer
25 N Broadway, Irvington, NY
Approximate Running Time: 1 hour and 40 minutes with no intermission
Recommended Age: 14 and up
All performances will take place outside. Chairs will be provided.
If a performance is cancelled due to weather, the performance will be rescheduled for the following Thursday. Audience members will be notified via the email they use for ticket reservations.
Synopsis
Playwright Heidi Schreck’s boundary-breaking play breathes new life into our Constitution and imagines how it will shape the next generation of Americans. Fifteen-year-old Heidi earned her college tuition by winning Constitutional debate competitions across the United States. In this hilarious, hopeful and achingly human new play, she resurrects her teenage self in order to trace the profound relationship between four generations of women and the founding document that shaped their lives.
Content Warning
This production contains references to and discussions of domestic violence, sexual assault, abortion, and generational trauma
EVENTS & DISCUSSIONS:
Stick around after these performances to hear about What the Constitution Means to some of Westchester’s brightest non profits!
Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic: Saturday, July 12th
The LOFT: LGBTQ+ Center: Friday, July 18th
Digital Program
Performances
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Saturday, July 5
First Preview
7:00 PM
The Rivertowns Playhouse
Irvington, NY -
Sunday, July 6
Second Preview
7:00 PM
The Rivertowns Playhouse
Irvington, NY -
Friday, July 11
Third Preview
7:00 PM
The Rivertowns Playhouse
Irvington, NY -
*Saturday, July 12
Opening Night
7:00 PM
The Rivertowns Playhouse
Irvington, NY -
Sunday, July 13
7:00 PM
The Rivertowns Playhouse
Irvington, NY
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*Friday, July 18
7:00 PM
The Rivertowns Playhouse
Irvington, NY -
Saturday, July 19
*6:00 PM
Wildcliff Mansion
44 Wildcliff Rd, New Rochelle, NY 10805
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Sunday, July 20
7:00 PM
The Rivertowns Playhouse
Irvington, NY -
*Friday, July 25
*8:00 PM
(pushed from 7:00PM due to heat advisory)
The Rivertowns Playhouse
Irvington, NY -
Saturday, July 26
7:00 PM
The Rivertowns Playhouse
Irvington, NY -
Sunday, July 27
Closing Night
7:00 PM
The Rivertowns Playhouse
Irvington, NY
MEET THE CAST
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Rachel Gatewood
HEIDI
Rachel Gatewood is a Harlem based Actor and Producer from Texas. She has performed off/near Broadway, but feels the most at home performing at 25 N Broadway. After seeing the original production of this play, she cried a lot and wrote Heidi Schreck an email that still sits in her drafts because she was too scared to send it. She is deeply honored to be here. When she is done dry heaving from the surrealness of it all she would like to thank Kamran, Emma, Colin, Matt, Sean, Julia, Shannon and everyone who has touched this show and helped bring it to life. BFA in Acting from SUNY Purchase @rgatewood -
Colin Henning
LEGIONNARE
Raised in North Carolina, Colin Henning received his BFA in Acting from SUNY Purchase and now lives in New York City. He has performed at The Drama League, Theater for the New City, and appeared in the second season of Hulu’s “Wild Crime.” He co-owns C.H. Squared Films with his partner in life and art, Chad Hylton. Their short, “Eden for Two” was an official selection of Dances with Films: NY, and HollyShorts Monthly. His feature directorial debut, “Appalachian Dog,” was featured on Entertainment Weekly’s What to Watch List, and is now available on Prime & Tubi.
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Nate Larson
THE DEBATER
Nate E. Larson is proud to make his professional debut with Rivertowns Playhouse. He trained at the Hudson Valley Conservatory and is grateful to Denise Summerford, Loren O’Connell, and Dee Wright-Kelly for their guidance and encouragement. Special thanks to his agent Bonnie Shumofsky Bloom, manager Jackie Reid, and his amazing family and friends for their love and support. Nate is excited to give his all on stage!
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Charlotte Pearson
THE DEBATER
Charlotte Pearson is thrilled to be part of such a critical play. A passionate performer and advocate, Charlotte brings heart, strength, and sharp intellect to her role, challenging the audience to think critically about the Constitution’s impact on real lives. Past credits include RAGE (Helen), The Divine Comedy (Lucy), How to Talk to Dead People (Cherry), The Hope and Heartache Diner (Loo), The Addams Family (Ancestor), and American Summer (Stephanie’s Friend). Charlotte thanks her friends and family for their unconditional support—and everyone who continues to question, challenge, and fight for a better future.
Meet the creative team
Director
Emma Shafer
Production Stage Manager
Shannon Kenny
Scenic Design
Sean Lillis
Sound Engineer
Ethan Chin
Marketing
Colin Henning
Producers
Rachel Gatewood
Emma Shafer
Matt O’Shea
Colin Henning
Artistic Director & Executive Producer
Kamran Saliani
Technical Director
Julia Little
Lighting Design
Ethan Chin
Costume Design
Colin Henning
Preamble Party Coordinator
Juliette Hartel
Carpenters
Kylie Cottrell
Carly Genovesi
Jim Lillis
meet our spotlights
In support of What The Constitution Means to Me, The Rivertowns Playhouse would like to spotlight and thank the following Westchester County Based Nonprofits for their dedication to basic human rights. These organizations provide accessible services to community members in order to help them during times of crisis and provide safe spaces to gather, educate, and seek support.
For more information, or to make a tax-deductible donation, please visit their websites that are listed below.
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The LOFT LGBTQ+ Community Center is a non-profit institution that serves the LGBTQ+ community of Westchester County, NY, and the Hudson Valley Region. Founded in 1983, The LOFT provides a broad range of services including in-person, virtual, and hybrid programs, support groups, social activities, and special events such as Westchester Pride Hosted by The LOFT , The Hudson Valley TransForum , and the Trans Support of The Hudson Valley (TSHV) program, which supports and empowers Transgender, Gender Non-Conforming, and Non-Binary (TGNCNB) communities.
Currently located at 252 Bryant Ave, White Plains, NY 10605, The LOFT continues to be a beacon of inclusion, advocacy, and community building for LGBTQ+ individuals and their allies.
To learn more or donate to The LOFT visit their website here.
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For over 90 years, Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic (PPHP) has provided exceptional health services, accurate information and education, and fearless advocacy for reproductive rights and justice. PPHP’s 10 brick-and-mortar health centers, two mobile health centers, and virtual health center offer nonjudgmental, confidential, and affordable high-quality sexual and reproductive health care across Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, and Suffolk counties. PPHP’s mission is to empower individuals to determine their own sexual health and reproductive futures. For more information about PPHP’s services and to learn how to get involved, visit pphp.org.
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The Neighbors Link mission is to strengthen the whole community through the healthy integration of immigrants. Our mission is achieved by filling a service gap for new immigrant families, offering education and empowerment programs, involving longer-term residents in volunteer opportunities and creating substantive partnerships with other local organizations. Our strategies to educate, empower and employ families include a Worker Center, English as a Second Language (ESL) education, legal services and advocacy, workforce development, parent education, early childhood programs and academic support for school-age children of immigrants.
Neighbors Link is headquartered in Mount Kisco, has three locations in Westchester County and offers services throughout the Mid-Hudson Valley. For more information on locations or programs, please call us at 914-666-3410.
To learn more or donate to Neighbors Link visit their website here.
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24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, the National Domestic Violence Hotline provides essential tools and support to help survivors of domestic violence so they can live their lives free of abuse.
Contacts to The Hotline can expect highly-trained, expert advocates to offer free, confidential, and compassionate support, crisis intervention information, education, and referral services in over 200 languages.
To learn more or to donate to the National Domestic Violence Hotline, click here.
the preamble party
In the spirit of the preamble itself, the Preamble Party is a free post show event that is designed with "We the people" in mind. With free food and beverage donated by local Irvington Businesses, discussions and resources provided by our Spotlight Partners, and all around good vibes, the Preamble Party is the place to get to know your neighbors, reflect together on the themes of the show, and the place to form a, "more perfect union."