Theatre Aspen features limited run of ‘What the Constitution Means to Me’

For three performances only, Heidi Schreck’s Tony-nominated play “What the Constitution Means to Me” will grace the stage of Theatre Aspen with acclaimed actress Cassie Beck.

The performances are 7 p.m. Aug. 27, 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. Aug. 28, at the Hurst Theatre.

“It’s the most inclusive and compassionate piece of theatre that I have engaged in as a performer. It’s a joy to perform. It’s really fun,” Beck said.

The multigenerational play, which opened in 2017, became a Pulitzer Prize finalist and Obie Award winner for Best New American Play in 2019. The play asks the question, “What do you want the Constitution to be?”

Inspired by a true tale, the story focuses on Heidi, a 15-year-old who toured around the United States winning constitutional debate contests to pay for her college education. Decades later, Heidi wants to revisit the speech that had awarded her this money, through the lens of her 40-year-old self, to re-examine and question her original beliefs.

“I was an audience member before I played in the show and loved it,” Beck said of watching the playwright play herself in the original run. Later, Schreck, whom Beck knew from the theatre world, encouraged Beck to take over her role. 

“It was really an honor to be asked, that’s for sure,” Beck said.

The New York City-based thespian starred as “Heidi,” the lead character, for 13 legs of the Broadway National Tour and over 100 performances in 2022. Now she’s excited to bring her nuanced portrayal to Aspen audiences for the first time. 

“I’m very grateful to revisit this piece. I haven’t done it in three years. So much has changed since I last played the role,” Beck said. 

Like her character, Beck finds it a real treat to go back and revisit the text.

The cast includes MJ Sieber co-starring as an American Legion member. Beck championed including Sieber in the production, aware that he knew the part from his days as an understudy in an earlier run in Seattle.

Local thespian Natalie Stephens will also join as a debater. Stephens is a senior high school student who made her Hurst Theatre debut playing a newsboy in “Gypsy: A Musical Fable” and had a role in Theatre Aspen’s Holliday cabaret, both in 2022. 

“I hear she’s a Theatre Aspen superstar,” Beck said.

Theatre Aspen’s Executive Producer Michael Radar will direct.

“What I appreciate about the play is how it asks us, no matter our background or political stance, to really examine the Constitution’s impact on our daily lives and to consider what kind of future we want to create. I think this is why audiences continue to find its questions and insights especially relevant and engaging,” Radar said.

Trey Ewart will be doing the lighting design, and Joe Reynolds is on sound design.”My hope for an audience takeaway is that the constitution is a living document and interpretation matters,” Beck said. 

Premium Opening Night tickets include a post-performance reception with the cast, giving theatergoers a chance to engage directly with Beck and the cast. Tickets are available at theatreaspen.org/constitution.