Center Theatre Group Announces Second and Final Extension of "What the Constitution Means to Me" at the Taper

CENTER THEATRE GROUP ANNOUNCES SECOND AND FINAL EXTENSION OF “WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME” AT THE MARK TAPER FORUM

THE TONY-NOMINATED PLAY OPENS FRIDAY, JANUARY 17AND MUST CLOSE FEBRUARY 28, 2020

A SPECIAL EVENT CO-HOSTED BY LOS ANGELES MAGAZINE

WILL BE HELD FOLLOWING THE PERFORMANCE ON FEBRUARY 27

ADDITIONAL STUDENT MATINEES ANNOUNCED

NEW BLOCK OF TICKETS RELEASED FOR ALL PERFORMANCES

Currently in previews, “What the Constitution Means to Me” at Center Theatre Group/Mark Taper Forum is extended a second and final time. Written by Heidi Schreck, directed by Oliver Butler and starring Maria Dizzia, the Tony-nominated play, originally scheduled to run through February 16 and later extended until February 23, will now continue through February 28, 2020. “What the Constitution Means to Me” will open on Friday, January 17. A new block of tickets has been made available for all performances throughout the run.

It was also announced that tickets are now on sale for “A Constitutional Conversation,” an event co-hosted by Los Angeles magazine after the performance on Thursday, February 27. The panel discussion led by Editor-in-Chief Maer Roshan will feature special guests in conversation to discuss what the Constitution means to us all. Tickets for this performance and panel discussion are $150 and can be purchased by visiting CTGLA.org/LAMag. Panel guests will be announced at a later date.

Additional dates for student matinee performances of “What the Constitution Means to Me” have also been announced. Those performances will be on Thursday, February 27 and Friday, February 28. For more information, please visit CTGLA.org/StudentMatinee.

In addition to Maria Dizzia, the cast of “What the Constitution Means to Me” includes original Broadway cast members Rosdely Ciprian and Mike Iveson as well as local debater Jocelyn Shek (who alternates in the role with Ciprian). Gabriel Marin and Jessica Savage are understudies. The creative team features scenic design by Rachel Hauck (“Hadestown”), costume design by Michael Krass (“Hadestown”), lighting design by Jen Schriever (“Eclipsed”) and sound design by Sinan Refik Zafar (“Hamlet”). The production stage manager is Nicole Olson and the casting director is Taylor Williams.

Direct from Broadway, playwright Heidi Schreck’s boundary-breaking play breathes new life into our Constitution and imagines how it will shape the next generation of Americans. Fifteen-year-old Heidi earned her college tuition by winning Constitutional debate competitions across the United States. In this hilarious, hopeful and achingly human new play, she resurrects her teenage self in order to trace the profound relationship between four generations of women and the founding document that shaped their lives.

Schreck’s timely and galvanizing play, directed by Oliver Butler, became a sensation off-Broadway last fall before transferring to Broadway where it received two Tony Award nominations among countless other accolades. The New York Times hailed “What the Constitution Means to Me” as “not just the best play to open on Broadway so far this season, but also the most important.”

Initially announced for a 12-week engagement on Broadway, “What the Constitution Means to Me” was extended twice and fully recouped in its Broadway engagement, shattering box office records at the Helen Hayes Theater, for a total run of 24 weeks. “What the Constitution Means to Me” officially opened March 31, 2019 after beginning preview performances March 14, and played its final Broadway performance on August 24, 2019.

“What the Constitution Means to Me” had a record-breaking limited engagement run at the Eisenhower Theater at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., where it played 15 performances immediately following the conclusion of the Broadway run, from September 11 through September 22, 2019.

“What the Constitution Means to Me” was commissioned by True Love Productions. This production originated as part of Summerworks 2017, produced by Clubbed Thumb in partnership with True Love Productions.

The national tour of “What the Constitution Means to Me” is produced by Diana DiMenna, Aaron Glick, Matt Ross and Level Forward & Eva Price.

Heidi Schreck is a playwright, screenwriter and performer living in Brooklyn. Her most recent play “What the Constitution Means to Me” was named a Pulitzer Prize finalist and won the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best American Play. Schreck also received two Tony Award nominations for “What the Constitution Means to Me” for Best Play and Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play, the 2019 Smithsonian Magazine American Ingenuity Award, the Horton Foote Playwriting Award, the Hull-Warriner Award, and an OBIE. Heidi’s other plays include “Grand Concourse,” “Creature,” “Mr. Universe” and “There Are No More Big Secrets.” Her screenwriting credits include “I Love Dick,” “Billions” and “Nurse Jackie.” Schreck has taught playwriting and screenwriting at NYU, Columbia, Kenyon College and Primary Stages.

Center Theatre Group, one of the nation’s preeminent arts and cultural organizations, is Los Angeles’ leading nonprofit theatre company, which, under the leadership of Artistic Director Michael Ritchie, Managing Director Meghan Pressman and Producing Director Douglas C. Baker, programs seasons at the 736-seat Mark Taper Forum and 1600 to 2100-seat Ahmanson Theatre at The Music Center in Downtown Los Angeles, and the 317-seat Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City. In addition to presenting and producing the broadest range of theatrical entertainment in the country, Center Theatre Group is one of the nation’s leading producers of ambitious new works through commissions and world premiere productions and a leader in interactive community engagement and education programs that reach across generations, demographics and circumstance to serve Los Angeles. The student matinee program for “What the Constitution Means to Me” is generously supported by Deena and Edward Nahmias; Betsy and Harold Applebaum; Cindy and Gary Frischling; and The Norman and Sadie Lee Foundation.

These student matinees are also made possible by the Theatre Access for L.A. Initiative which supports Center Theatre Group’s efforts to reach an audience that reflects the diverse makeup of Southern California and the communities we serve. A gift to this fund helps us provide access to underrepresented community members and to create a more inclusive theatre through subsidized ticket offers, innovative audience engagement and education projects, and more. Lead funding for Theatre Access for L.A. is provided in part by Glaser, Weil LLP; Hansen, Jacobson, Teller, Hoberman et al.; and Jeffer Mangels Butler and Mitchell LLP. Under the Theatre Access for L.A. Initiative, Center Theatre Group has added $15 student rush tickets (a limited number available for students 25 and under with a valid student ID) and 232 $25 tickets in the extension week (in honor of the United States’ 232-year-old Constitution) to the existing FreePlay program (free tickets at a preview performance for people 25 years of age and under) and $15 TodayTix lottery (made available for all evening performances) in an effort to make theatre available to every audience. For more information, visit www.CenterTheatreGroup.org/Constitution.

The student matinee program would not be possible without the generous support of the Rosenthal Family Foundation; City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs; US Bank; Wells Fargo; Diana Buckhantz and Vladimir and Araxia Buckhantz Foundation; Renee and Meyer Luskin; Laura and James Rosenwald and Orinoco Foundation; Union Bank, The Walt Disney Company Foundation, Paramount Pictures and the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation.

Tickets are available online at CenterTheatreGroup.org, by calling Audience Services at (213) 628-2772 or in person at the Center Theatre Group Box Office (at the Ahmanson Theatre at The Music Center in Downtown Los Angeles). Tickets range from $25-$175 (ticket prices are subject to change). The Mark Taper Forum is located at The Music Center, 135 N. Grand Avenue in Downtown L.A. 90012.

# # #

January 16, 2020