Heidi Schreck, renowned for her play 'What the Constitution Means to Me', digs deep into how the Constitution affects marginalized communities. Sharyn Rothstein and Seema Sueko, creators of 'Right to Be Forgotten', tackle the complexities of online reputation and the rights individuals should have to erase their past misdeeds. Together, they explore the intersection of personal narratives and technological dilemmas, emphasizing storytelling's power in addressing societal issues while considering the evolving nature of communication in the digital age.
01:00:19
forum Ask episode
web_stories AI Snips
view_agenda Chapters
menu_book Books
auto_awesome Transcript
info_circle Episode notes
question_answer ANECDOTE
Constitutional Beginnings
Heidi Schreck's mom devised a plan to fund her college education through American Legion Oratory contests.
These contests involved giving speeches about the Constitution, igniting Schreck's passion for history and public speaking.
insights INSIGHT
Constitution's Double-Edged Sword
The Constitution's lean and unspecific nature, while considered genius, can also be a flaw.
This is especially true for groups not originally protected, requiring reinterpretations and struggles for inclusion.
insights INSIGHT
Personal Connection to the Constitution
Heidi Schreck connects her personal and family history, particularly experiences with domestic violence, to the Constitution.
This reveals how the document has failed to protect women throughout history.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
Heidi Schreck's 'What the Constitution Means to Me' is a powerful one-woman play that interweaves personal anecdotes with a sharp critique of the US Constitution. Schreck recounts her experiences participating in high school debate competitions on the Constitution, juxtaposing her youthful idealism with her adult understanding of the document's flaws. The play explores themes of gender, class, and the Constitution's failures to protect marginalized groups. It challenges audiences to confront their own relationship with the Constitution and its historical context. The play's emotional depth and intellectual rigor have resonated with audiences and critics alike.
Recode's Kara Swisher talks to the creators of two new plays that intersect with tech issues: Heidi Schreck, the former star and playwright of What the Constitution Means to Me, and the writer and director of Right to Be Forgotten — Sharyn Rothstein and Seema Sueko. Schreck took the name of her play from a series of debate competitions she competed in as a teenager, but has developed a more complicated appreciation for the Constitution as an adult, and discusses how its flaws connect to her own life story. Later in the show, Rothstein and Sueko talk about the thorny political question of how permanent our communications online should be, and whether people have a "right to be forgiven" for past misdeeds.
Decoder with Nilay Patel 
