PicksInSix Q & A - Cassie Beck: What The Constitution Means To Me-Broadway Playhouse

Heidi Schreck’s “What the Constitution Means to Me,” a smart, provocative work presented in a wide-ranging narrative that alternates from heartbreaking to hilarious and all points in between, will return to Chicago on October 26 for a two-week run at the Broadway Playhouse starring Cassie Beck, the multi-talented stage and television actor whose credits include the Tony Award-winning “The Humans” and the just-released Amazon Prime series “I Know What You Did Last Summer.”

One of the many startling and insightful revelations in Schreck’s play occurs quite matter-of-factly early on, as she reflects on her 15-year-old-self travelling the country and participating in constitutional debates in American Legion halls. It has to do with the theatrical set, conjured up from her memory, that includes a massive wall with portraits of men, peering back impassively at the 40ish woman, and serving as an imposing metaphor for the multi-layered discussion of inequity and inequality that is to come.

It is then that Schreck readily admits not being able to conjure up one important detail: she could not envision a door out of the room.

The framers could not begin to list the rights for all either and chose to amend the document so that future interpretations could be made. Navigating the constitutional territory of a way out and framing the discussion of the text, purpose and future of the document—specifically focusing on Articles 9 and 14—is the meaty middle of Shreck’s superb 2019 Tony® Award-nominated show.

Now back on tour, and in advance of the Broadway in Chicago run which was stalled by COVID-19, we posed questions to Beck about tapping into her own experiences to create the role and how the show has been impacted by the current state of politics and women’s rights.

Ed Tracy: What is it about "What The Constitution Means To Me" that first got you interested?

Cassie Beck: When I saw Heidi perform the piece in New York, I loved it. I was really flattered and honored when the tour offer came to me. She’s a friend and a colleague. I’ve collaborated and performed in some of her other plays prior to CONSTITUTION and cherished those times of working together. She’s an inventive, honest and uncompromising writer who really values actor input. I will always get in a creative room with her anytime I’m invited. For this particular production, I have the unique perspective of having been an audience member, so I know what it’s like to receive this play from a theatre seat. I found it so revelatory, raw and exciting, not to mention enraging at times. It’s a full spectrum kind of piece that covers a lot of emotional ground while also being relatable and laugh out loud funny. Plus, for an actor, navigating such a hefty bulk of material is a theatre nerd challenge I couldn’t refuse.

ET: Talk a bit about how the staging and rehearsal process for the tour evolved as we started to emerge from the pandemic. Is there an example where a section of the show has been adjusted or expanded?

CB: Firstly, rehearsal protocols were strictly and smartly enforced for physical safety by our Covid Safety Manager who attended every rehearsal and is also with us on tour. Everyone is vaccinated and frequently tested. We wear KN95 masks at all times, with the exception of actors on stage. There was also the addition of HEPA filters and area fans. The most informative and reassuring was our team’s one-on-one meeting with Dr. Adamson, the Broadway Covid Advisor. She was incredibly helpful with regard to where the science is now around testing, transmission, contagion and viral load. We got a full 30 minutes with her before she had to Zoom with The White House, so, nbd. We all played it very cool. Tip: Keep those fans circulating, blast that overhead air vent straight into your lap while on planes, and wear your masks, everyone! As for the show, while we are not ignoring the fact that there’s been a pandemic since the show last played, for example, I greet the audience in a way that acknowledges how good it is to be back in the theatre.  Mike Iveson interacts with some audience members and puts on his mask to do so–the word Covid-19 has not made it directly into the text. I do think the pandemic deeply permeates the questions raised in the show, especially as they relate to accessibility to healthcare in this country, an individual’s right to life, and, of course, current events from today’s headlines are always changing in the live debate portion of the piece.

ET: The original production had the added benefit of Heidi Schreck’s own experiences, many, if not most, of which universally resonate with women in the audience. Is there one particular moment in the piece that strongly tapped into your personal experience? How did you approach that in your own preparation?

CB: Heidi’s examination of her mother, grandmother, great, great grandmother and herself in the play not only resonated with me but invited me to do the same. I lost my mother in 2019, and because there is a kind of universality for American women in the piece, I bring my own mother and grandmother and great-great grandmother’s ghosts on stage with me as well. The play has a deep spiritual, ritualistic, séance (dare I say witchy) quality as the character of Heidi evokes spirits from history into the theatre space. She’s calling them up, remembering them, discussing them and interacting with them through time and space. I find it so comforting and moving that I get to do the same with my ancestors while simultaneously calling to action the younger generations in the audience to understand, learn, and question the past so we can move forward. It’s funny, I can hear the audible gasps from the audience after the line, “birth control became legal for single people in this country in 1972.” I remember that being a shocking realization for me as well. The facts surrounding birth control legality was revelatory for me and sharply pointed to how I took the right to contraceptives for granted.

ET: The show is a conversation starter and provides an open, unique and often hilarious opportunity for women of two generations to address wide-ranging issues.  What do you see as the most important concepts for women to share with the next generation and as a lens to Heidi’s view of her mother and grandmother’s experiences?

CB: That we are complex beings with both strengths and weaknesses, that deserve to live, love and achieve. To not lose hope, that we are progressing! We must know our worth so we can continue to fight for equality, which is our birthright.

ET: One fascinating aspect of the play is the embodiment of women at various ages and through the eyes of their experiences with men, as portrayed by Mike Iveson who played the role in the Broadway production and is on tour. Can you talk about the interaction between the essence of the everyman (on stage) and how you associate that relationship with the men in the audience?

CB: Yes, as we were rehearsing the play, I asked for an afternoon dedicated to dissecting Heidi’s onstage relationship with the Legionnaire. What I learned is that Mike is truly there to catch and respond to anything that I happen to throw at him over the course of the performance. I see so many of the men Heidi describes in the play embodied in him. Once the show’s spell is cast, Heidi calls him into the space like a ghost of the real Legionnaire she knew. He makes this long entrance from the back of house to the stage, which I like to imagine is the conjuring of this real man’s spirit to enter our playing space. Over the course of the show, he morphs into many other men, such as the college guy that gives her a ride home, her castmate “Jean” from Miss Julie, her father, even Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant! Not to mention the men in the audience, from young to old. He really is a surrogate for any male energy that is accessed in the play. Most importantly, at his core, he’s the wonderfully supportive and talented Mike Iveson himself. He’s always got my back, whether I’m loving or berating him. His breakout speech is always perfection.

ET: There are among the historical references humorous anecdotes that are contextualized with recordings of Supreme Court proceedings that align with Heidi’s personal experiences. And yet, all these years later, our society continues to face obstacles that both directly and indirectly inhibit equality. It seems, to use the metaphor early on in the show, that there is no one door to open, but a series of doors for this and future generations. Talk about the two most important takeaway’s that will provide both inspiration and a call to action for our time.

CB: The show has taught me how difficult and lengthy the legislative process really is and how unequal the playing field continues to be because of that glacial pace. The fact that the mechanism to change the Constitution is written into the document itself and we haven’t passed the ERA yet is enraging - and yet, we are not mad enough. As a culture, inequality MUST matter more. We can change it, but we have to run for office ourselves, demand change and rectify the Constitution to protect us all. I would like the takeaway to be that our relationship to democracy and the Constitution should function like any relationship you care deeply about: it requires work, dedication, and evolution.

PHOTO|Joan Marcus

BROADWAY IN CHICAGO
Presents
WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME

October 26-November 7, 2021

Broadway Playhouse
Water Tower Place

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