By George Basler

Hillori Schenker thinks some people view the U.S. Constitution as an old, distant document that has little bearing on their lives.

Not so, said the social studies teacher at Montrose Area High School. She’s starring in the play What the Constitution Means to Me, which will run Thursday through Sunday (Oct. 17-20) at the Cider Mill Stage in Endicott.

“This play demonstrates how much effect on a personal level the Constitution has,” Schenker said about the 2017 work by American playwright, screenwriter, and performer Heidi Schreck.

The play debuted on Broadway in 2019 and was nominated for a Tony Award as the year’s best play. It was also a finalist for the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It premiered as a film on Amazon Prime Video in 2020.

The Chicago Sun-Times called it “a highly entertaining, deeply informative and hopeful examination of the document that impacts every single one of us every day of our lives.”

The play as “a comedy, but a stressful comedy,” Schenker said. During its tight 100-minute running time, it touches on issues such as women’s rights, immigration, U.S. history and the debate over interpreting the Constitution on today’s world.

The play is “equal parts memory and reflection,” Schenker added. It begins with Heidi, being played by Schenker, recalling how, as a 15-year-old, she participated in Constitutional debate contests sponsored by the American Legion to win prize money for college. Her present-day self then reflects on how her beliefs and opinions have changed over the years.

Schenker signed on to do the role after being approached by BLAST (Bold Local Artists of the Southern Tier), which is producing the show. She had previously acted in the political comedy The Outsider at the Cider Mill Stage.

What the Constitution Means to Me “is a lot of me on stage talking,” Schenker joked. She thinks being a high school teacher has prepared her for this challenge. “You can’t be boring (in the classroom). Teenagers will tell you if you’re boring,” she laughed. To avoid this, she uses animated gestures, raises her voice and even jumps around to keep her students’ attention. Expect those techniques in What the Constitution Means to Me.

Other characters in the play are an American Legionnaire, performed by Nick DeLucia, and a young student debater, portrayed by Natalie Maher, a Union-Endicott High School student.

 The play ends with the Legionnaire moderating a discussion between the narrator and the student on whether, or not, the Constitution should be abolished and replaced. An audience member will be picked at random to make the decision, meaning there could be a different decision for each performance, Schenker said.

Schenker said she doesn’t want to “blindside” anyone coming to the play. The playwright presents the hot button topics from a liberal perspective, she noted. But she believes What the Constitution Means to Me will touch a lot of people even if they don’t agree with every argument.

 If there’s one message audience members should take home after seeing the play, it’s this, Schenker said: “I hope that, especially it being an election year, they leave with the inspiration to vote.”

IF YOU GO: BLAST (Bold Local Artists of the Southern Tier) will present What the Constitution Means to Me Oct. 17-20 at the Cider Mill Stage, 2 Nanticoke Ave., Endicott. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $30, including fees. Advance tickets can be ordered on the Cider Mill Stage’s website, www.cidermillstage.com,