Evening of Theatre Inspires Forthcoming Sorensen Center Journal’s First Theme
Date: January 7, 2021
When the Broadway Theatre District was open and buzzing, the Sorensen Center hosted a special evening at Heidi Schreck’s Tony-nominated play, What the Constitution Means to Me. Sorensen Center Fellows came together with Center advisors and friends to watch a stimulating performance of the play and engage in a Theatre talkback. The play about a young Ms. Schreck, who earned enough money for her college tuition by winning Constitutional debate competitions across the U.S., was hailed by The New York Times as “not just the best play to open on Broadway so far this season, but also the most important.” This event inspired a new Sorensen Center writing project, “What Does the Constitution Mean to You?” as part of a larger, continuously expanding, democracy initiative.
Ms. Schreck resurrected her teenage self “in order to trace the profound relationship between four generations of women in her own family and the founding document that dictated their rights and citizenship.” The play ends with a debate between Heidi Schreck and a student — played on alternating nights by Thursday Williams and Rosdely Ciprian — on whether the U.S. Constitution should be abolished or amended. During the talkback with the Sorensen Center party, Rosdely, who just performed the role, and Thursday, who made a surprise appearance during her “off night” specifically for the Center’s program, shared audience reactions to this question and their own takes. Fellows joined the conversation, led by Center Director Camille Massey and Professor Ruthann Robson. An informal exchange of ideas continued at the legendary restaurant, Sardi’s, next door to the Theater. Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Garrison & Wharton LLP’s participation as a sponsorship partner honored Ted Sorensen’s legacy and highlighted the firm’s active engagement with the Center since its inception.
Performers Thursday Williams (center) and Rosdely Ciprian (right) in talkback led by Sorensen Center Director Camille Massey (left) on set of What the Constitution Means to Me at Hayes Theatre.
Following the theatre event, Fellows were asked to reflect on the question, “What does the U.S. Constitution mean to you?” Many wrote a blog piece addressing the merits of amending versus abolishing the Constitution, or how an Article or Amendment of the Constitution impacted their area of legal focus and their clients. While some recommended amendments, others argued that the Constitution, which was written exclusively by white, land-owning men, is inherently flawed. Fellow Ashley Gonzalez ‘21 wrote, “…We have to abolish the Constitution and write a new one that appreciates inclusivity, dignity, and justice for people of every intersecting identity.” Focusing on voting rights, Fellow Adam Edwards ‘22 wrote, “The 15th Amendment requires that voting is not denied based on race, the 19th that it cannot be denied based on sex, and the 25th lowers the constitutionally minimum age to 18…. The Constitution does not grant you the right to vote. Oh, certainly the right to vote cannot be denied to you from a constitutional standpoint based on race or sex, but it can be denied based on age. It can be denied based on mental capacity. It can be denied based on conviction status.”
CUNY Law students Trieu-Van Nguyen, Brendan Moloney, Lamar Bennett, and Susan Mellender at Sardi’s reception
The evening of theatre, inspiration, and ideas was a perfect union of the Center’s “Justice Through Art” program and its democracy initiative. In 2021, the Center has exciting plans to produce and launch its first-ever journal, working closely with the CUNY Law community and external friends. Even the journal title will include a crowdsourcing component. The journal will feature selected short pieces, including essays, poems, and other artistic expressions, from our community, along with pieces by external scholars, practitioners, and artists. And the theme of the first issue? It will come as no surprise — the U.S. Constitution.
Read “We the People,” a poem by Fellow Phoebe Gittelson ’21 on the U.S. Constitution. Stay connected on social media @SorensenCenter.