The Chadron State College Theatre Department opens a 3-week run of a unique presentation of Heidi Schreck’s play What the Constitution Means to Me.
The show is recommended for adults.
The unique aspect is that 3 different directors – Olivia Freeze, Josie Fritz, and Halle Smith – have each created their own productions. Freeze says there are essentially 3 different shows using the same basic script.
What the Constitution Means to Me is to a large extent biographical as Shreck resurrects her teenage self for a series of debates on the relationship between four generations of women and how the U-S Constitution shaped their lives.
Hallie Smith says it’s not completely accurate to say the 3 CSC productions use the same script because Shreck wrote it in a way that allows directors to pick and chose lines.
Theater Professor Scott Cavin says the flexibility of the script is one reason he chose to go the 3-director route, but even more important was to get as many students into the show as possible. Hallie Smith says that’s especially important for the 3 directors.
The performance schedule has 5 performances this week – 7:00 tonight-Saturday and 2:00 both Saturday and Sunday – followed by a break for Thanksgiving and then a repeat of this weekend’s schedule, without the Thursday, on December 1-3.
Fritz directs tonight’s show, Smith has tomorrow night and Saturday afternoon, Freeze puts her cast to work Saturday night, and Fritz returns on Sunday.
The second weekend has Freeze Friday night and Saturday afternoon, Fritz Saturday night, and Smith on Sunday.
Performances are in the Black Box Theater on the 2nd floor of Memorial Hall. Tickets are free but required because of limited seating. They may be reserved online at www.csc.edu/academics/theatre.