I am so excited to share PlayMakers production of What the Constitution Means to Me, one of the most significant new plays of the last decade. Heidi Schreck’s deeply personal, hilarious, and wildly theatrical exploration of the American Constitution continues our season-long interrogation of the American Dream.
This play accomplishes so much – with Heidi as our guide, we are invited to question our assumptions about the Constitution and its power over the American people. She charts the journey of three generations of women in her family and beautifully links their lives to millennia of women who struggled, fought and pushed our society “steadily forward and forward and forward… I hope?”
This production marks the Mainstage directing debut for company member Aubrey Snowden who has guided this show with her insight, intelligence, and brilliant theatrical aesthetic. She and her team have mined the tools of the form to create an event that walks the razor’s edge of meta theatricality. And at the center of it all is the fabulous Julia Gibson; from the moment I saw this play years ago I knew we needed Julia to tell this story at PlayMakers. It is truly a(nother) tour de force performance.
While stating the obvious, the timing of this play wasn’t by accident. Elections are always moments for significant shifts. One of the things I love most about this play is its ability to entertain and celebrate our capacity for civic engagement. That’s also one of the things I love about this community: people understand their responsibility to the greater good, and they work hard to uphold those values. Thank you so much for participating in this theatrical debate.
In solidarity,
Vivienne
P.S. VOTE!!!
January 7–12, 2025
“The Shot is a story for this moment. I hope The Shot empowers women who suffer intimate partner violence, and gives the rest of us a window into an abused woman’s soul.” - Playwright, Robin Gerber
A tour de force by Emmynominated actor Sharon Lawrence, inspired by the story of the most powerful woman in journalism. Before her legendary tenure at The Washington Post, where she defied the U. S. government by publishing both the Pentagon Papers and the Watergate story, Katharine Graham was an abused wife. Her resilience set the stage for her transformation into an emblem of power in the
YOUR THEATRE, YOUR WAY.
Welcome, welcome, welcome!
We are so happy to have you in this space with us.
When I first immigrated to the United States in 1994, America seemed like a land of bounty – full of wonder and opportunity under the banner of “The American Dream.” After living here for over 30 years, I’ve learned that this dream means very different things to different people. As our society evolves, we grapple with questions about whether that opportunity is equally afforded to all, what success truly means, what we value, and how we balance rugged individualism with collective responsibility.
This season at PlayMakers, we invite you to join us on a journey that promises to challenge, entertain, and inspire. The American Theatre provides a unique space to explore the American Dream – where ideas come to live and breathe, allowing the nuances of our shared ideals and our differences to be examined. What a gift to our community that we have a company like PlayMakers to offer this space for reflection, dialogue, and change.
We hope you will continue to join us throughout this season and beyond. Your support is crucial in bringing these powerful stories to life, enriching our community, and protecting the magic of live theatre. Share your experiences here with your friends, follow us on social media, and consider a donation –however you choose to support, we are truly grateful to have you with us this
ADVISORY COUNCIL
Betsy Blackwell
Patrick Brennan
Deborah Gerhardt
Susan Gross
Amy Guskiewicz
C. Hawkins
Zach Howell
Lillian Jenks
Duncan Lascelles
Stuart Lascelles
Robert Long, emeritus
Graig Meyer
Julie Morris
Paula Noell
Jodi Patalano
Diane Robertson
Wyndham Robertson
Haley Swindal
Jackie Tanner, Chair
Jennifer Werner
Mike Wiley
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Heidi Schreck is a writer and performer living in Brooklyn. Her critically-acclaimed play What the Constitution Means to Me played an extended, sold-out run on Broadway in 2019 and was nominated for two Tony Awards. It had subsequent runs at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., the Mark Taper Forum, the Guthrie Theater, Seattle Repertory, Theatre and the McCarter Theatre, as well as theatres in Houston, Miami, Omaha, Nashville, Charlotte and Chicago. A filmed version of the play premiered on Amazon Prime Video, and was nominated for a Critics Choice Award, a PGA Award and DGA Award.
What the Constitution Means to Me was named Best of the Year by The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, Time Magazine, The Hollywood Reporter, The New Yorker and more. Schreck’s other plays Grand Concourse, Creature, and There Are No More Big Secrets have also been produced in NYC and all over the country.
Screenwriting credits include I Love Dick, Billions, Nurse Jackie, Dispatches from Elsewhere and shows in development with Amazon Studios, Plan B and A24. She is the recipient of three Obie Awards, a Drama Desk Award and a Theatre World Award, as well as the Horton Foote Playwriting Award and the Hull-Warriner Award from the Dramatists Guild. Schreck was awarded Smithsonian Magazine’s 2019 American Ingenuity Award, for her work in the Performing Arts.
Photo by Tess Mayer for The Interval.
PROGRAM NOTES
B y Adam Versényi, Dramaturg
Have you ever wanted to spar with your fifteen-year-old self? Jabbing at the choices made then that determine who you are now? Encouraging your younger being to block blows aimed at their vulnerable points? This is the dance Heidi Schreck engaged in when she first wrote and performed What the Constitution Means to Me in 2017. The play investigates and interrogates her fifteen-year-old self’s excitement in the U.S. Constitution while simultaneously decentering her story to bring forth those the Constitution did not originally include. It was the most produced play in theatres across the U.S. in the 2023/24 season and will likely be among the most produced in this current season.
Schreck’s play explores not only what compelled her about this document as a teenager, but its enduring fascination for us today. Perhaps the founding document of our republic the Constitution has historically both bound us together and divided us. Is it a “crucible” that provides us with “a severe test of who and what we are” as the young Heidi claims? A “living document” that needs to be interpreted for each context as many constitutional scholars contend? Or must we adhere to the “originalism” of the founders as other constitutional scholars insist? From the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision in 2022 overturning Roe v. Wade, to the Court’s recent decisions regarding presidential immunity and the separation of Church and State, among countless others, who interprets the Constitution is critical.
What the Constitution Means to Me brings these debates alive for us as adult Heidi recreates her fifteen-year-old self competing in the American Legion High School Oratorical Contest. Founded in 1938 “to instill a deeper knowledge and appreciation of the U.S. Constitution in high school students,” the Contest has awarded more than $3 million in scholarships to participants at the national level and annually awards hundreds of thousands of dollars of scholarship money at the lower levels of competition. Co-ed from its inception, the first female national champion won in 1951. As the play reaches back in time we join Heidi, all of us reaching forward to today and asking what the Constitution means in the here and now.
In Suzan-Lori Parks’ play Death of the Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World, Parks makes a distinction between “remember me” and “re-member
me”, or between historical memory and historical reparation, in terms of African American history in the U.S. The reaching back and forth in time in Schreck’s What the Constitution Means to Me does something similar as it re-creates, re-constructs, and re-claims Heidi’s relationship—and by extension, ours—to the Constitution. In her speech Heidi utilizes Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas’ interpretation of the Ninth Amendment to the Constitution (“The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people”) as a “penumbra.” With that interpretation the play takes us on a journey through the light and dark of U.S. constitutional history but steers us towards no definitive conclusions. Rather, what is revealed is a love and reverence for the Constitution that also acknowledges the damage to our social fabric it has caused. We are left in the grey area between light and dark as the audience judges a debate between the actor playing Heidi and a contemporary teenager over the Constitution’s validity for today. As we approach the end of campaigning during a consequential election, Schreck’s play is a call for humane engagement with both the U.S. Constitution and each other.
PlayMakers production design for What the Constitution Means to Me employs the three-quarter thrust stage of the Paul Green Theatre to emphasize the play’s movement between stasis and action, between the past and the present, and between light and dark with a runway reaching out into the audience. This configuration, we hope, will encourage your participation in the parliamentary debate. Imagine yourself at an ACC sporting event or at a boxing match. Take sides, cheer on your chosen competitors. The outcome of this theatrical event is not predetermined. As Heidi’s engagement with her teenage experience emboldens her to talk about her full life experience, let your engagement with What the Constitution Means to Me embolden your full experience of the play. Lean in, feel the pulse, respond.
William O. Douglas
WHAT THE CONSTITUTION IS WORTH
By Lexi Silva
As the title suggests, What the Constitution Means to Me examines the symbolic and practical significance of the United States Constitution, while scrutinizing its limitations through the lens of playwright Heidi Schreck’s experience. With the 2024 presidential election approaching, Constitution prompts audiences to consider how the value of a foundational government document measures up in our current political climate. After all, the Constitution is fragile and enormous; a shield and a sword depending on who wields it. A connective tissue between the American people and its government, the Constitution is immeasurably significant in meaning and value. But what about the physical document?
The recent discovery of a rare copy of the United States Constitution in North Carolina conveniently offers a contemporary point of reference for the perceived value of the Constitution in 2024. According to CBS News, a copy of the Constitution was discovered in a filing cabinet at Hayes Farm in Edenton, North Carolina in 2022. It is thought to be the only U.S. Constitution of its kind in private hands and is headed to auction. The minimum bid of $1 million has already been made, and it is expected to go for a much higher price tag (2024). When the Constitution was sent to Congress for approval on September 18th, 1787, Charles Thomas, the secretary of the Confederation Congress ordered 100 copies to be printed. It is speculated that Thomas signed two copies for each of the 13 states, and only a few are known to exist. The auctioneer, Andrew Brunk, notes that the perceived dollar value of this copy is unknown since the last time a signed copy like this appeared, it sold for $400 in 1891. In 2021, the fine art broker corporation Sotheby’s New York sold a copy of the Constitution printed for the Continental Congress for $43.2 million dollars, so who’s to say what the Hayes Farm copy might sell for.
Continue reading the journal entry with the QR code.
What The Constitution Means To Me
PLAYMAKERS PRESENTS
Directed by Aubrey Snowden by Heidi Schreck
Scenic & Costume Designer
Derrick Ivey
Lighting Designer
Tao Wang
Vocal Coach
Gwendolyn Schwinke
Stage Manager
Sarah Smiley
Sound Designer
Eric Collins
Dramaturg Adam Versényi
Assistant Stage Manager Aspen Blake Jackson
Original Broadway Production Produced by; Diana DiMenna, Aaron Glick, Matt Ross
What the Constitution Means to Me was commissioned by True Love Productions; This production originated as part of Summerworks in June and July 2017, produced by Clubbed Thumb in partnership with True Love Productions.
West Coast premiere produced by Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Berkley, CA, Tony Taccone, Artistic Director/Susan Medak, Managing Director. What the Constitution Means to Me had its Off-Broadway premiere in New York City at New York Theatre Workshop, Jim Nicola, Artistic Director, Jeremy Blocker, Managing Director, 2018
Additional material by: Danny Wolohan
Any video or audio recording of this performance by any means is strictly prohibited.
The Professional Theatre of the Department of Dramatic Art
Kathryn Hunter-Williams, Chair
Vivienne Benesch, Producing Artistic Director
Produced in association with the College of Arts and Sciences
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
CAST LIST
In Order of Appearance
Heidi/Julia ........................... Julia Gibson*
Stage Managers Sarah Smiley*, Aspen Blake Jackson*
*Appearing through an Agreement between this theatre and Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
Setting : 1989 & Current Day
What the Constitution Means to Me will be performed with no intermission.
Julia Gibson
Heidi/Julia
PlayMakers: Resident company member in her 12th season. Murder on the Orient Express, Misery, Native Gardens, Yoga Play, Native Son, How I Learned to Drive, Bewilderness, The Cake, Ragtime, My Fair Lady, She Loves Me, Twelfth Night, The Crucible, An Enemy of the People, Into the Woods, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, Love Alone, Metamorphoses, The Tempest. Broadway: Stanley, Uncle Vanya, Night Mother. National Tour: The Exonerated. OffBroadway: The Public, Shakespeare in the Park, Manhattan Theatre Club, The Roundabout, Classic Stage Company, New York Theatre Workshop, SoHo Rep, Origin Theatre Company, Irish Rep, The Rattlestick, among others. Regional: The Alley, American Conservatory Theatre, The Goodman, The Long Wharf, Yale Rep., George Street, The Arden, Milwaukee Rep., Philadelphia Festival Theatre, Dallas Theatre Center, Chautauqua Theatre Company, and elsewhere. Film/TV: Michael Clayton, Changing Lanes. Blue Bloods, Law & Order, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Spin City, So Close, and One Life to Live. Directing includes Rattlestick, Epic Theatre Company, Gulfshore Playhouse, New London Barn, Portland Stage, Juilliard, and NYU. Education/Other: Currently co-head of the Professional Actor Training Program in the Department of Dramatic Art at UNC-Chapel Hill. Fox Fellowship recipient, founding member of The Actors Center in NYC and of the National Association of Acting Teachers. Currently an Institute for the Arts and Humanities Faculty Fellow. URTA Board of Directors. 2020 Carolina Women’s Center Faculty Scholar. Narrated over 175 audiobooks.
Jeffrey Meanza
Legionnaire/Mike
See PlayMakers Leadership Bio.
Amari Bullett
Debater
PlayMakers: Mainstage Debut. Summer Youth Conservatory: The Prom, The Drowsy Chaperone, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Community: Little Women, The Boyfriend, Legally Blonde (Chapel Hill School of Musical Arts); High School Musical The Musical One-Act, Frozen Jr., Descendants The Musical One-Act, The Little Mermaid Jr., Into the Woods Jr., The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe (Pittsboro Youth Theater). School: Radium Girls (Northwood High School); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Woods Charter School).
Taryn Melvin Debater
PlayMakers: Debut. Community: MuFaro's Beautiful Daughters, Annie (ANFO); Majesty in the Mirror (VNM Studio); Black Naitivity (Triangle Performance Ensemble). School: State of Urgency, MuFaro's Beautiful Daughters, Matilda, Little Shop of Horrors, The Story: African-Americans who made a Difference, Annie (Hillside High School). Awards: Star Performing Artist of the Year, Triangle Rising Stars Opening Number (2023), DPAC Ambassador.
@therealtarynelise
PROFESSIONAL ACTOR TRAINING PROGRAM
Class of 2026
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Aubrey Snowden Director
PlayMakers: Company member in her sixth season and Teaching Assistant Professor with the Department of Dramatic Art. As You Like It, The Skin of Our Teeth, The Drowsy Chaperone (Co-Director and Choreographer, Summer Youth Conservatory). Antigone, References to Salvador Dalí Make Me Hot, Beast on The Moon (PlayMakers Ground Floor). Off-Broadway / New York: Sense and Sensibility (Associate, Bedlam), Spill (Associate, Ensemble Studio Theater), Man Solo Festival (Bedlam), Phedra (Access Theatre). Regional: Little Women (Virginia Theatre Festival), Constellations, Betrayal (The Wilbury Group), Sense and Sensibility (Associate, American Repertory Theater), SeaWife (Associate, White Heron Theater). University: Marburg (Louisiana State University), Exit Pursued by a Bear, Urinetown, Mr. Burns: A Post Electric Play, The Wolves, The Fairytale Lives of Russian Girls (Kenan Theatre Company, UNC-Chapel Hill), Green (Manhattanville College), Machinal (Brown Trinity). Education and Training: BA, Manhattanville College; MFA, Brown University/Trinity Rep; Tectonic Theatre Project; SITI Company; National Theater Insititute; LaMama International Director’s Symposium. Awards: 2019 Motif Magazine Award for Best Set Design; 2019 Schwab Academic Excellence Award at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Proud member of The Stage Directors and Choreographers Society. aubreysnowden.com
Derrick Ivey
Scenic & Costume Designer
PlayMakers: Bewilderness (Costume Designer), Bright Star (Costume Designer, Summer Youth Conservatory),The Cake, An Enemy of the People, Love Alone (Actor). Regional: Designer: Silent Sky (Center Theater), A Doll’s House, Part 2 (RedBird Theater Company), Dancing at Lughnasa, Vinegar Tom, Uncle Vanya, Ragtime (Duke University), Kiss Me Kate (William Peace University), Life Sucks, Marjorie Prime, Mr. Burns, The New Electric Ballroom, Act a Lady, The Receptionist, Rabbit Hole (Manbites Dog Theater), Pride and Prejudice, Trouble in Mind (Raleigh Little Theater). Actor: Art, Red (RedBird Theater Company), A Christmas Carol (Center Theater), Wakey-Wakey, Mr. Burns…Death of Walt Disney, Nixon’s Nixon (Manbites Dog Theater), God of Carnage, Into the Breeches (Theatre Raleigh), Cabaret, King Lear, Suddenly Last Summer (William Peace University), The Trip to Bountiful (Cape Fear Regional Theater). Film: Designer: The Voice in Isabel Fleiss’s Office, Keepsake, Cheat Proof. Actor: The Problem of the Hero, Alamance
Tao Wang
Lighting Designer
PlayMakers: Company member in his second season. The Game, Misery. Regional: UrbanArias Keegan Theatre, Hattiloo Theatre – Black Repertory Theatre), Taft Theatre, Corbett Theatre, MainStage Musical Theatre and Dance Company, Stauss Theatre. Film/Events/ TV/ Shows: “Nanjing, Nanjing,” The Universal Beijing Resort, Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony 2008 and Special Olympics World Games in Shanghai Opening Ceremony, Turandot in Paris, Beijing TV Virtual Reality Interactive Showroom, USITT 2019 National Conference. Teaching: Assistant Professor and David and Rebecca Pardue Fellow, serving as a Media and Lighting Designer in the Department of Dramatic Arts at UNC, Chapel Hill. Proud member of United Scenic Artists Local 829; NYC and USITT www.wangtman.com
Eric Collins
Sound Designer
PlayMakers: A Wrinkle in Time, Ragtime, She Loves Me, Temples of Lung and Air, The Crucible, We Are Proud To Present…, Peter and the Starcatcher. Regional: Newsies, A Night With Janis Joplin, Gypsy, Jesus Christ Superstar (North Carolina Theatre); Once, Big Fish, Rock of Ages, The Secret Garden (Theatre Raleigh); MacBeth, Lynn Taylor-Corbett’s Dracula and The Little Mermaid (all World Premieres) at Carolina Ballet; The Music Man, Idina Menzel (in concert), Natalie Merchant (in concert) for the North Carolina Symphony; The 39 Steps, Anon(ymous), The (Real) Merry Housewives of Windsor (NC State University Theatre). A 25-year veteran of the pro audio field, Eric Alexander Collins has worked across the U.S, Europe, and Austrailia in venues from Ceasar’s Palace to the iconic Sydney Opera House. A North Carolina native, today Eric is proud to support the rich theatre community we have here.
Gwendolyn Schwinke
Vocal Coach
PlayMakers: Company member in her fifth season. Voice/Dialect Coach: Fat Ham, Much Ado About Nothing, Clyde's, Emma, Native Gardens, Blues for an Alabama Sky, Yoga Play, Dairyland, Native Son, Julius Caesar, As You Like It, The Skin of Our Teeth, A Wrinkle in Time. Actor: Murder on the Orient Express, Much Ado About Nothing, The Skin of Our Teeth, As You Like It. International: Voice/ Text/Dialect/Somatic Coach: Macbeth, Twelfth Night, As You Like It, Roman Daggers, The Winter’s Tale (Prague Shakespeare Company); Company season
training (Queensland Shakespeare Ensemble). New York & Regional: As Voice & Text Coach: Seven seasons with Shakespeare & Company. Oxford Shakespeare Festival, Frank Theatre, Cheap Theatre, Atlantic Stage. Actor: Carlyle Brown & Company, Oxford Shakespeare Festival, Frank Theatre, Red Eye Collaboration, Minnesota Shakespeare Project, Atlantic Stage, Old Creamery Theatre, Illinois Shakespeare Festival. Playwright: Plays developed and/or produced by Seattle Repertory Company, Cherry Lane Theatre, The Playwrights’ Center, Red Eye Collaboration, Judith Shakespeare Company, Jungle Theatre. Teaching: David G. Frey Fellow/Assistant Professor of Voice & Speech at UNC-Chapel Hill, Faculty Member at Shakespeare & Company and Prague Shakespeare Company, Designated Linklater Voice Teacher and Teacher Trainer, Guild-certified Feldenkrais Teacher. Voice & Speech Trainers Association Board of Directors.
@gwendolynschwinke
Adam Versényi Dramaturg
Dramaturgy: Resident Dramaturg, PlayMakers Repertory Company, 1988–present. Recently: Much Ado About Nothing, Hamlet, The Skin of Our Teeth, Julius Caesar, Native Son, Life of Galileo. 7 Stages ; NEA Playwrighting Fellows Program; Theatre Previews at Duke; Critics Panel, IV Hispanic Theatre Festival (Teatro Avante); Florida Studio Theatre; Yale Repertory Theatre; La MaMa E.T.C.; Festival Latino (New York Shakespeare Festival). Directing: The Nutcracker (PlayMakers); The Agony of Ecstasy; El Día Que Me Quieras; The Black American Dream; Hughie; The Indians Were Angry; Bitter Blood; The Lesson; No Exit. Publications: The Dramaturgy of Space, Ramón Griffero: Your Desires in Fragments and Other Plays.; The Theater of Sabina Berman: The Agony of Ecstasy and Other Plays; El Teatro en América Latina; Theatre in Latin America: Religion, Politics, and Culture from Cortes to the 1980s. Other: Fulbright Senior Lecturer, Colombia, South America. Member, Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas. Faculty: UNC-Chapel Hill; Deep Springs College; Escuela de Bellas Artes, Universidad de Caldas, Manizales, Colombia; Escuela Nacional de Arte Dramático, Bogotá, Colombia. Education: DFA, Yale School of Drama.
Sarah Smiley Stage Manager
Sarah returns to Chapel Hill from Charlottesville, VA where she spends summers as production manager for the Virginia Theatre Festival. This will be her 13th season with PlayMakers, since first joining the company in 2005. Sarah has worked professionally for over 30 years in the entertainment and theatrical
industries, in theme parks and road houses in eight states and the U.K. She is a member of Actors’ Equity Association and has been active in USITT and the Stage Managers’ Association. She received her M.F.A. from the University of Iowa.
Aspen Blake Jackson
Assistant Stage Manager
PlayMakers: Crumbs from the Table of Joy, Murder on the Orient Express, Much Ado About Nothing, Clyde's, They Do Not Know Harlem, Native Gardens. The Prom, The Drowsy Chaperone, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Summer Youth Conservatory). Aspen is thrilled to be returning for her third mainstage season. She graduated from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a BA in Vocal Performance and Dramatic Arts. Aspen has also thoroughly enjoyed spending the last three summers serving as the Production Stage Manager for our Summer Youth Conservatory program of which the most recent production, The Prom was a hit!
UP NEXT
Embark on a whimsical journey with Dizzle Jollyworth, one of Santa's frontline elves. We find him struggling to find purpose in his North Pole life when he's dispatched to North Carolina on a special mission – to reignite Christmas magic for a grief-stricken toymaker. Join us for a festive world premiere of a Christmas tale made just for you. NOV 26 - DEC 15, 2024
Learn more about the performance with the QR code.
COFFEE ARTISTS ON A MISSION
(on & off the stage)
Whether on the stage or roasting coffee, head roaster
Nash keeps the PlayMakers family caffeinated with Larry’s Organic, Fair Trade, Shade Grown coffee.
Vivienne Benesch
Producing Artistic Director
Vivienne is in her ninth full season as a company member and Producing Artistic Director with PlayMakers, where she has helmed productions of The Game, Hamlet, The Skin of Our Teeth, The Storyteller, Dairyland, Life of Galileo, Leaving Eden, The May Queen, Three Sisters, Love Alone, RED and In The Next Room. In her time with the company, she is particularly proud to have produced 13 world premieres and launched PlayMakers Mobile, a touring production aimed at reaching under-served audiences around the Triangle. For 12 seasons, she served as Artistic Director of the renowned Chautauqua Theater Company and Conservatory, presiding over the company's transformation into one of the country's best summer theatres and most competitive summer training programs. Vivienne directed both the world premiere of Noah Haidle’s Birthday Candles for Detroit Public Theatre and, in 2022, its Broadway production starring Debra Messing. She has also directed for the Folger Shakespeare Theatre (Helen Hayes nomination for best direction 2019), The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, Trinity Repertory Company, NY Stage & Film, and Red Bull Theatre, among others. As an actress, Vivienne has worked on and off-Broadway, in film and television, at many of the country’s most celebrated theatres, and received an Obie Award for her performance in Lee Blessing’s Going to St. Ives. Vivienne is a graduate of Brown University and NYU’s Graduate Acting Program. As an educator, she has directed for and served on the faculty of some of the nation’s foremost actor training programs, including The Juilliard School, UNC-Chapel Hill’s Professional Actor Training Program, Brown/Trinity Rep MFA Program, and at her alma mater, NYU’s Graduate Acting Program. She is the 2017 recipient of the Zelda Fichandler Award given by the Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation.
Maura J. Murphy Director of Operations
Maura is here for her ninth full season, returning after a 23-year hiatus. In that time, she honed her administrative skills at Duke, NCSU and of course, Carolina. She was production stage manager for PlayMakers from 1993-1996 and general manager from 1996-1999. Education: EdD and MS in Higher Education Administration, NCSU; BA in Drama, Muhlenberg College.
Jeffrey Meanza
Associate Artistic Director
An actor, director and educator, Jeffrey Meanza has spent the better part of two decades working at two of the country’s most celebrated regional theatres, overseeing the artistic, educational and community engagement efforts of the organizations. As a member of PlayMakers’ resident acting company, he has appeared in Murder on the Orient Express, Hamlet, Angels in America, Into the Woods, Lisa Kron's Well, Amadeus, Assassins, and The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, among others, and directed Misery, The Legend of Georgia McBride, The Cake, and Guys and Dolls. From 2015 to 2021, he served as the Guthrie Theater’s associate artistic director, overseeing the theater’s education and community engagement initiatives, the literary team, casting, and the theater’s professional training programs, as well as helping to guide the work on the Guthrie’s three stages. During his tenure, Meanza managed the expansion of educational programming to serve over 35,000 students annually, including creating an artist residency program that put full-time teaching artists in high school classrooms throughout Minnesota. In addition, under his leadership, the Guthrie piloted a new Fellowship program that offers paid training opportunities for emerging leaders to experience work at one of the nation’s leading regional theaters. In 2021, Meanza returned to PlayMakers Repertory Company as Associate Artistic Director, overseeing the theater's artistic, educational and engagement operations. He holds an M.F.A in Acting from the Professional Actor Training Program at UNC-Chapel Hill and a B.A. in Theater and Performance Studies from the University of California, Berkeley.
Michael Rolleri Production Manager
Michael is in his 38th season with PlayMakers Repertory Company. He has been Technical Director, Project Manager, Exhibition Technician, and Lighting Designer for industrial shows in the Southeast region, as well as lead carpenter for films, the U.S. Olympic Festival, and scenic studios. He has also been a rigger in the Southeast region and has served on the executive board and as President of IATSE Local 417. Michael is a 30-year Gold Pin member of IATSE. An active United States Institute For Theatre Technology (USITT) member, he is a three-time winner at USITT's Tech Expo. He is a full Professor/Head of the Technical Production Program at UNC-Chapel Hill and was an instructor at High Point University and Tufts University. Education: MFA in Design and Technical Production, UNC-Greensboro.
Our Mission
PlayMakers Repertory Company is North Carolina’s premier professional theatre company, proudly in residence on the dynamic campus of the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill. Our mission is to produce relevant, courageous work that tells stories from and for a multiplicity of perspectives. We believe that theatre can have a transformational impact on individuals and entire communities, and we are committed to the journey of becoming an anti-racist organization whose work is accessible to all. Inextricably linked to UNC's Department of Dramatic Art, PlayMakers is devoted to nurturing and training future generations of artists and audiences.
Our Vision
Accountability Statement
At the heart of PlayMakers Repertory Company’s mission is the belief that theatre has the power to transform individuals and entire communities. PlayMakers continues to assess and evaluate our own practices in order to embed equitable, antiracist policies into strategic planning, our mission, and our operations.
PlayMakers Repertory Company, and those of us who work here, commit to the following:
• To work intentionally to create an antiracist culture in our company.
• To continually educate ourselves on the ways in which we can combat racism locally and nationally as we move to create an inclusive, diverse, and equitable sense of belonging for every one of our constituents.
• To demonstrate our values through action in our policies, practices, and procedures.
Land Acknowledgment
We acknowledge that the land on which the University of North Carolina stands is the ancestral homeland of Eastern Siouan-speaking Indigenous peoples (Yesàh, “The People”). We honor and acknowledge the citizens of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, the Coharie Indian Tribe, the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, the Haliwa-Saponi Indian Tribe, the Sappony, the Meherrin Nation, the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation, and the Waccamaw-Siouan Tribe, who, along with citizens of other tribal nations, comprise one of the largest populations of Indigenous people east of the Mississippi River.
As we look to the future, may we build upon the memories and goodwill of all who walked and labored here before us with truth, integrity and honor. Learn more: UNC American Indian Center www.americanindiancenter.unc.edu.
Provoke Represent Create
PlayMakers is...
“One of America’s Best Regional Theatres” (American Theatre Magazine), PlayMakers Repertory Company is North Carolina’s premier professional theatre company, proudly in residence on the dynamic campus of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. The professional company was founded in 1976, growing out of a storied 100-year tradition of playmaking at Carolina.
At the very heart of the PlayMakers experience is one of the nation’s last remaining resident theatre companies, made up of accomplished performers, directors, designers, artisans, and technicians, and supported by exceptional graduate students in UNC’s Department of Dramatic Art. Our company works side by side with guest artists from all over the world and our alumni include Pulitzer Prize, Tony®, Emmy®, and Grammy Award® winners.
Creating Tomorrow’s Classics, Today
Producing Artistic Director Vivienne Benesch is continuing PlayMakers’ tradition of producing vibrantly reimagined classics, large-scale musical theatre, and significant contemporary work, but has also broadened the company’s reach to become a home for new play development and a true hub of social and civic discourse in the region. Her first eight seasons have given life to twelve important new American plays.
A Hub of Engagement
PlayMakers seeks to provoke thought, stimulate discussion, and push the boundaries of the theatrical form in everything we do. Whether through our intimate @PLAY series, our mainstage offerings, or our special events, we look for opportunities for direct, dynamic engagement between audiences, artists, and thinkers. In addition, programs like the Radical Inclusion Initiative that brings specific communities into the process of new play development, or collaborations with regional and university partners engaging arts practices in mental health and wellness strategies, serve to deepen PlayMakers’ impact on our increasingly dynamic community.
Theatre for the People
PlayMakers Mobile is an initiative that seeks to contribute positively to the civic and social life of our region by taking world-class theatre out of our building and into the community. We create a streamlined production of a play and take
it to schools, transitional housing facilities, and long-term treatment facilities around the Greater Triangle area. And best of all, it’s all free of charge.
Passing the Torch
PlayMakers’ award-winning Summer Youth Conservatory is the only professionally supported training program of its kind in the region. The Theatre Quest program provides camps to area middle school and high school students, while the Theatre Intensive and TheatreTech programs allow Triangle high schoolers to apprentice directly with professional directors, choreographers, musical directors, and technicians, culminating in a professional quality production on the PlayMakers mainstage for the whole community to enjoy.
Eliminating Barriers
With a commitment to eliminating barriers for attendance, PlayMakers offers All Access performances for our patrons living with disabilities. We also offer accessible $20 tickets for all performances and ticket prices are reduced to just $10 for UNC students and $12 for all other students. For more information, please contact prcboxoffice@unc.edu.
Fat Ham, 2023. Photo by HuthPhoto
PlayMakers’ 2024/25 Season is
Made
Possible in Part by Grants from
Foundation Support
National Endowment for the Arts, North Carolina Arts Council, The Shubert Foundation, Fidelity Foundation, Orange County Arts Commission, The Strickland Family Foundation, UNC Parents Council
Additional Funding for Guest Artists is Provided by Jeffrey Hayden Guest Lectureship Fund, Robert Boyer and Margaret Boyer Fund, Louise Lamont Fund, Emeriti Professors Charles and Shirley Weiss Fund
Corporate Council
Craven Allen Gallery & House of Frames, Larry's Coffee, Mediterranean Deli, Bakery, and Catering, Metal Supermarkets Raleigh, Pineapple Sol Catering, Pinsieline Properties LLC, University Florists, Vimala's Curryblossom Cafe
Associates Glasshalfull, Infinium Spirits
PlayMakers Repertory Company is a program of the Department of Dramatic Art, The College of Arts and Sciences, and The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Cultural Resources, recognizes PlayMakers as a professional theatre organization and provides grant assistance to this organization from funds appropriated by the North Carolina General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts. PlayMakers is a beneficiary of the Elizabeth Price Kenan Endowment and the Lillian Hughes Prince Endowment.
PlayMakers Repertory Company is a Member of Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for the American theatre.
This Theatre operates under an agreement between the League Of Resident Theatres (LORT) and Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
The scenic, costume, lighting and sound designers in LORT Theatres are represented by United Scenic Artists, Local USA-829 of the IATSE.
The Director and Choreographer are members of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, a national theatrical labor union.
PLAYMAKERS
Administration
Vivienne Benesch, Producing Artistic Director
Artistic
Jeff Aguiar, Director of Engagement
Tracy Bersley, Movement Coach/Choreographer
Chelsea James, Producing Associate
Tia James, Vocal Coach
Gregory Kable, Dramaturg
Jacqueline E. Lawton, Dramaturg
Jeffrey Meanza, Associate Artistic Director
Mark Perry, Dramaturg
Gwendolyn Schwinke, Vocal Coach
Lexi Silva, Dramaturgy Fellow
Adam Versényi, Dramaturg
Andrew Wade, Assistant to Producing Artistic Director
Development
Kyle Kostenko, Assistant Director of Annual Giving
Lenore Field, Special Events Coordinator
Management
Lisa Geeslin, Accountant
Charisse Holloway, Admin Support Specialist
Faculty
Zoë Lord, Company Manager
Maura J. Murphy, Director of Operations
Sarah Tackett, Administrative Operations Associate
Ella Hawn, Administration Work Study
Marketing & Audience Services
TJ Carr, Graphic Designer and Marketing Associate
Rebecca Edmonds, Audience Services Associate
Hannah LaMarlowe, Associate Director of Marketing
Thomas Porter, Box Office Manager
Rosalie Preston, Director of Marketing and Sales
Jenna Zottoli, Audience Services Manager
Ava Lytle, Cora Willis: Student House Managers
Micah Kennel: Student Box Office Manager
Albert Carlson,Alicia Norman, Sophie Taylor, Maggie Thornton: Student Assistants
Swetha Anand, Lynlee Collins, Kali Dao,Tygia Drewhowell, Evan Jeppson, Gali Jones-Valdez, Lindsay Kanipe,Alex Lankford,
Leah Page, Kas Perez,Watson Pope, Dani Urgiles,Ava Wells: Box Office and Front of House Work Studies
Department of Dramatic Art
Kathryn Hunter-Williams, Chair and Associate Professor
Milly Barranger, Professor Emerita (1999-2023)
Vivienne Benesch, Professor of the Practice
Tracy Bersley, Associate Professor
Pamela Bond, Assistant Professor
James Bray, Teaching Assistant Professor
Jan Chambers, Professor
McKay Coble, Professor Emerita
Jeffrey Blair Cornell, Associate Chair, Teaching Prof.
David Bost, Nick Rodgers, Jayden Alexander Peszko, Madi Ugan, Audio Engineer.
PlayMakers Repertory Company is a nonprofit theatre. We rely on the generosity of our community to continue delivering the Broadway-quality theatre you love. If you believe in the transformative power of theatre as much as we do, please consider making a taxdeductible donation to help theatre thrive.
You can help support and sustain all our work, both on stage and off, by making a tax-deductible gift which enables us to:
• Bring innovative, entertaining, and relevant theatre to the Triangle
• Serve students across the state through our award-winning educational programs
• Engage with our audiences through artist and community conversations
Every gift, big or small, makes a huge difference!
Ways to Give
PHOTO OF THE CAST OF TARTUFFE BY HUTHPHOTO Online playmakersrep.org/give
Phone or Email
Kyle Kostenko kostenko@unc.edu 919.445.1282
Mail
Send your check to:
Kyle Kostenko
PlayMakers Repertory Company
Joan H. Gillings Center for Dramatic Art CB 3235 Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3235
PlayMakers is grateful to the members of the Friends of PlayMakers for their generous support. For more information about how to join this dynamic group of supporters, call Assistant Director of Annual Giving Kyle Kostenko at 919.445.1282 or visit us at playmakersrep.org.
Director’s Circle ($10,000+)
Anonymous
Betsy Blackwell and John Watson Jr.
Cindy and Thomas Cook
David G. Frey ~
Joanne and Peter Garrett
Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund
The Farley Fisher Gift Fund
Deborah Gerhardt
Joan Gillings ~
Cynthia Strickland Graham
Susan and Dustin Gross
Garrett Hall and Zachary Howell
T. Chandler and Monie Hardwick
Mrs. Frank H. Kenan ~
Thomas S. Kenan III
Paula Noell and Palmer Page
John and Debra Ratliff
Wyndham Robertson
Coleman Ross
Schwab Charitable
Shubert Foundation
The Robert Strickland Family Foundation
The Robertson Foundation
T. Rowe Price Charitable
Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program
Alan H. Weinhouse
Jim and Bonnie Yankaskas
Angel ($5,000–9,999)
Anonymous
Patrick Brennan and Lillian Jenks
Thomas and Holly Carr
Charities Aid Foundation of America
Munroe and Becky Cobey
Amy and Kevin Guskiewicz +
Mr. and Mrs. Matt Hapgood
Dorothy Heninger
Kim Kwok
Prentice Foundation
H. Edward and Phyllis Wright
Investor ($2,500–4,999)
Anonymous
Alicia and Bill Allred
Richard and Deirdre Arnold ^
Ed and Eleanor Burke ^
Adam Cifu
Susan E. Hartley
Carol Hazard and Winston Liao
Johnson & Johnson Matching Gift Program
Susan J. Kelly
Duncan and Stuart Lascelles
D.G. and Harriet Martin
Louis and Jodi Patalano
Nick and Amy Penwarden
Pinsieline Properties LLC
Robert and Tobi Schwartzman +
Mrs. Carol Smithwick
Jackie and James Tanner
Jennifer Werner
Jennifer and Sandy Williams
Katie Woodbury
Page to Stage ($1,500–2,499)
David and Judy Adamson
Mary Altpeter +
Andrew and Katherine Asaro ^
Vivienne Benesch
Steve Benezra ^
Ed and Eleanor Burke ^
Ed and Virginia Cockrell + Cornell University Foundation
Mrs. Linda Whitham Folda and Dr. Jaroslav
Thayer Folda, III
John and Diane Formy-Duval
Dana and Robert Greenwood
Hugon Karwowski and Joanna
Karwowska ^
Dr. Catherine Kuhn and Glenn Tortorici
Shirley and Tom Kunkel
Metal Supermarkets Raleigh
Paul and Linda Naylor
Abigail Panter and George Huba
Jay and Cris Preble
David Price
The Shelby Family Foundation
Carole L. Shelby
Dr. William L. Stewart
The Rev. Wendy R. and W. Riley Waugh + Michael Weil and Peggy Link-Weil
Roger and Marlene Werner
Partner ($1,000–1,499)
Anonymous (4)
Michael and Marie Andreasen
Jeremy Arkin and Marian Fragola
Bruce and Dianne Birch
Dr. Stephen Shaw Birdsall
Dr. Stanley Warren Black, III
Fiona Brady and Carl Mehling ^
Carolyn and Jackson Breaks
Peggy Britt
Joan Clendenin
Bill Cobb and Gail Perry
Julie and M. Brian Daniels
Dr. Carrie Donley and W.P. Gale ^
Shelley Earp
Dr. and Mrs. John P. Evans
David J. Howell
Robert Huddleston
Dr. Moyra Kileff and Mr. Brian Kileff
Jack Knight and Margaret Brown ^
Katie Kosma +
Robert and Kathryn Kyle
Douglas MacLean and Susan Wolf
Elaine Mangrum and Michael Freedberg ^
Holly and Ross McKinney
Herbert and Jean Miller
Cathy O’Connell
Bettina Patterson
Raymond James Charitable Endowment Fund
Jean and Joseph Ritok
Kyle and Jenn Smith
Lucy and Sidney Smith
David B. Sontag
Karen Levine and Andrew Sisson
Triangle Community Foundation
Carol Uphoff
J. Stephen and Denise Vanderwoude, in honor of John Vanderwoude +
Dr. Jesse L. White
Derek and Louise Winstanly
Paul and Sally Wright
David and Heather Yeowell
Backer ($500–999)
Anonymous (3)
Brent Bailey and Tammy Hoffmeister
Susan and Tony Barrella
Deborah Barrett and Charles Kurzman
Adam C. Beck ^
John W. Becton and Nancy B. Tannenbaum
Shula and Stephen Bernard
Patricia Beyle
Frank Binkowski
Keith Burridge and Patricia Saling
Ann and John Campbell
Philip and Linda Carl
Sam and Michelle Crittenden
David Doll
Bob and Connie Eby
Thorsten A. Fjellstedt
Windi and Roger Glogowski
James P. Gogan ^
Dr. and Mrs. Robert S. Greenwood
Elizabeth Grey
Toby and Cheryl Harrell
C. Hawkins ^
David and Leslie Henson
Don and Kay Hobart
Michael Maness and Lois Knauff
Anand and Sandhya Lagoo
K.A. and Carol Lawrence
Nelda and Douglas Lay
Karen and Stephen Lyons
Dr. and Mrs. Morton D. Malkin
Ed and Connie McCraw
Amy McEntee
Mary McMorris and Leonard Santoro
Laurie E. McNeil and Patrick W. Wallace
Dr. James C. and Dr. Susan D. Moeser
Fred and Anne Morris +
Betsy and Jefferson Newton
Linda W. Norris
Pat and Mary Norris Oglesby
David and Elizabeth Nuechterlein
Lois P. Oliver
David and Mary Ollila
Sarah Owens
Ariana Pancaldo and Michael Salemi
Mark and Eugenea Pollock
Jodi and Glenn Preminger
Elizabeth Raft
Vikram and Susan Rao + Dr. William W. Smith and Brenda W. Kirby
This list is current as of September 19, 2024. If your name is listed incorrectly or not at all, please contact PlayMakers Development Office at 919.445.1282. We will ensure you are recognized for your thoughtful support.
The U.S. Constitution is the fundamental framework of the federal system of the U.S. government. The Constitution was written and signed by a group of delegates in 1787 and ratified in 1788. It remains the “supreme law” of the land today.
Preamble
The famous first 52 words of the Constitution introduce the articles and amendments that follow.
Articles
The seven articles make up the structural constitution, signed on September 17, 1787, and ratified on June 21, 1788.
Amendments
There have been 27 amendments to the Constitution, beginning with the Bill of Rights, the first 10 amendments, ratified December 15, 1791.
Three Branches of Government
The Constitution separates the powers of the federal government into three branches:
The Legislative branch (outlined in Article I), or Congress, which makes the laws;
The Executive branch (outlined in Article II), or the Presidency, which executes the laws; and The Judicial branch (outlined in Article III), or the federal judiciary (headed by the Supreme Court), which interprets the laws.
We the people
of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
Article I
SECTION 1. All legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives.
Article II
SECTION 1. The executive power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America. He shall hold his office during the term of four years, and, together with the Vice President, chosen for the same term, be elected, as follows:
Each state shall appoint, in such manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a number of electors, equal to the whole number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress: but no Senator or Representative, or person holding an office of trust or profit under the United States, shall be appointed an elector.
Article III
SECTION 1. The judicial power of the United States, shall be vested in one Supreme Court, and in such inferior courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish. The judges, both of the supreme and inferior courts, shall hold their offices during good behaviour, and shall, at stated times, receive for their services, a compensation, which shall not be diminished during their continuance in office.
Article IV
SECTION 1. Full faith and credit shall be given in each state to the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of every other state. And the Congress may by general laws prescribe the manner in which such acts, records, and proceedings shall be proved, and the effect thereof.
Article V
The Congress, whenever two thirds of both houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose amendments to this Constitution, or, on the application of the legislatures of two thirds of the several states, shall call a convention for proposing amendments, which, in either case, shall be valid to all intents and purposes, as part of this Constitution, when ratified by the legislatures of three fourths of the several states, or by conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other mode of ratification may be proposed by the Congress; provided that no amendment which may be
made prior to the year one thousand eight hundred and eight shall in any manner affect the first and fourth clauses in the ninth section of the first article; and that no state, without its consent, shall be deprived of its equal suffrage in the Senate.
Article VI
All debts contracted and engagements entered into, before the adoption of this Constitution, shall be as valid against the United States under this Constitution, as under the Confederation.
Article VII
The ratification of the conventions of nine states, shall be sufficient for the establishment of this Constitution between the states so ratifying the same.
Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
Amendment II
A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.
Amendment IX
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
Amendment XII
The electors shall meet in their respective states and vote by ballot for President and Vice-President, one of whom, at least, shall not be an inhabitant of the same state with themselves; they shall name in their ballots the person voted for as President, and in distinct ballots the person voted for as Vice-President, and they shall make distinct lists of all persons voted for as President, and of all persons voted
for as Vice-President, and of the number of votes for each, which lists they shall sign and certify, and transmit sealed to the seat of the government of the United States, directed to the President of the Senate; -- The President of the Senate shall, in the presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the certificates and the votes shall then be counted; -- the person having the greatest number of votes for President, shall be the President, if such number be a majority of the whole number of electors appointed; and if no person have such majority, then from the persons having the highest numbers not exceeding three on the list of those voted for as President, the House of Representatives shall choose immediately, by ballot, the President. But in choosing the President, the votes shall be taken by states, the representation from each state having one vote; a quorum for this purpose shall consist of a member or members from two-thirds of the states, and a majority of all the states shall be necessary to a choice.
Amendment XIV
SECTION 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
SECTION 2. Representatives shall be apportioned among the several states according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each state, excluding Indians not taxed. But when the right to vote at any election for the choice of electors for President and Vice President of the United States, Representatives in Congress, the executive and judicial officers of a state, or the members of the legislature thereof, is denied to any of the male inhabitants of such state, being twenty-one years of age, and citizens of the United States, or in any way abridged, except for participation in rebellion, or other crime, the basis of representation therein shall be reduced in the proportion which the number of such male citizens shall bear to the whole number of male citizens twenty-one years of age in such state.
