In Heidi Schreck’s “What the Constitution Means to Me,” the playwright and actress re-created a prize-winning speech she had given as a teenager, which allowed her to travel around the country and earn money for college. The play morphs from her channeling that speech into a potent dissection of the virtues, flaws, and limits of America’s foundational charter as well as its dramatic impact on four generations of women in her family. A touring production presented by the Huntington Theatre Company, starring Cassie Beck, is playing at the Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre through March 20. As the play draws to a close, the character of Heidi faces off in a debate with a real-life high schooler, played in alternating performances by Los Angeles teenagers Jocelyn Shek and Emilyn Toffler, as they argue whether to keep the Constitution and try to improve it — or abolish it and create a new Constitution that fixes its flaws and also includes “positive rights” for education, health care, and more. Over Zoom, Shek and Toffler, both experienced debaters, shared their thoughts about the play and the Constitution.
Q. How did you first get interested in debate?
Jocelyn Shek: I first got involved in debate when I was only in fifth grade. I was one of those people who when an adult talks to you, I’d freeze up and, like, run behind my parents. I signed up for debate because I wanted to get out of my comfort zone, and I thought it would be fun to research different topics.
Emilyn Toffler: I joined the debate team in 10th grade, but the coach got really sick. So we were trying to find a new person to take over, and then I got bullied by one of the guys on the team for being trans, so I was like, “I’m not doing this anymore,” and I left. When COVID hit, I took an online debate class, and I had a really good time doing it. The new coach [at my high school] is really awesome. I’ve always been more of a “dinner table debater,” as my mom calls it. When I was 8, my mom was like, “You should be a lawyer.”
Q. What do you love about debating?
ET: I don’t like to think of myself as a competitive person. But you put me on the debate stage, and it’s like a switch is flipped and I become a completely different human being. I love doing heckles and POIs, which is a point of information [questions or statements addressed to the judge or opponent to support your side of the debate], and just completely debunking an argument.
JS: Tournaments and stuff are fine. You get a lot of adrenaline, and I like speaking my opinions. But the lead-up to a tournament and doing debate prep and research on a topic, that’s my favorite part — just having that time to explore different facets of the world.
Q. How much of the show is scripted and how much of it is off the cuff?
ET: The debate is scripted. But, for example, I was really distraught over the things happening in Texas and in Florida in regards to trans and queer kids. So Heidi talked to me and was like, “Hey, you know, let’s add something in this part of the debate, so that way we can talk about this because it’s really important to you and your voice needs to be heard on this issue, and it needs to be in the play.” She’s really open with us, and if we need anything, she’s always there for us.
JS: I started with the show in January of 2020 when I was a freshman. So I’ve seen a lot of the changes that have been made, and that’s something I appreciate — that she tries to keep it fresh. It stays in the moment. Heidi gives us a lot of flexibility to say what we want to say and change our thoughts to what’s relevant now.
Q. What about the play moves you so profoundly?
JS: Heidi’s story and her family’s story is heartbreaking, and there’s really something in the show for everyone.
ET: I just love how Heidi tells her story with so much grit and determination. She wants to move this country forward and make sure that everyone’s voice is being heard, because she’s trying to be inclusive of all people while discussing these issues, which I think is really groundbreaking.
Q. What’s one insight you’ve learned about the Constitution in doing this play?
ET: Nothing is set in stone. I think the goal of the document is to change. It was to make changes as generations went on and to be a Constitution that works for all people. I think that’s a beautiful thing about the document, no matter its flaws. It truly does have that power.
JS: The main thing that I’ve gathered is truly the extent to which the Constitution and the government more broadly affects everybody’s lives. Talking to people who have seen the show, people from all walks of life, they’ve been able to share what the Constitution means to them and how it affects them, and it really propels me to want to help make change in the world and to do things that will improve everyone’s lives.
Q. You and Heidi engage in a debate about whether to keep or abolish the US Constitution. What’s your personal viewpoint?
ET: Keep it. We have 330 million people who live in this country, and none of them can agree on anything. I just think it would be too crazy and impossible to write a new Constitution. And if people start looking at it in shades of gray and not so black-and-white, I think we are on our way to making proper updates. We can make it a positive rights document. It’s just going to take time.
JS: I personally lean towards abolish. I definitely agree with the things that are said in the show. Like how the Constitution was originally created as a tool of justice for white men who owned property, and that included enslaving people. So I think that we should just tear it all down and start over. It’s really hard to amend the Constitution, especially with how divided everyone is now.
Interview has been edited and condensed. Christopher Wallenberg can be reached at chriswallenberg@gmail.com.