Friday Forum: ‘What the Constitution Means to Me’
An important Millbrook tradition, Friday Forums bring the whole school together to listen to interesting speakers and watch fascinating performances. Last Friday, for the first forum of the 2025–26 school year, the community gathered for a performance of the play What the Constitution Means to Me, by Heidi Schreck, performed by actors from the nearby Sharon Playhouse.
The play, which was a finalist for the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and nominated for Best Play at the 73rd Tony Awards, featured a small cast of four actors with minimal props. Deeply personal, the play addresses hotly debated issues like abortion and immigration through the speeches and sidebars of the author at various stages of her life.
A longer forum than usual (nearly two hours with no intermission), the talented actors easily held their audience’s attention with skillful portrayals of the characters. The play's format also kept the audience on the edge of their seats, as a timed-speech plot device created a sense of urgency throughout the performance.
At the end of the play, the actors invited students to participate in a lively debate on whether the U.S. Constitution should be abolished. Students could boo or cheer the points made—and they did so with gusto. Students also received pocket Constitutions so they could follow along with the debaters. When the debate concluded, the actors chose one audience member to join them on stage and declare the winner. The audience representative, Morgan Corwin ’29, chose not to abolish the Constitution.
To end the evening on a light note, the two debating actors asked each other random questions about their interests. Students were then invited to the stage to discuss the play with the performers.
The forum gave students and faculty much to think about as the Millbrook community focuses on its core value of “integrity” this year. Further conversations around the topics covered in the play are sure to break out in classrooms and dorm rooms across campus, as Millbrook remains a place where students from diverse backgrounds and belief systems can respectfully engage with and learn from each other.
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