'What the Constitution Means to Me' to stream on Amazon Prime

The Tony-nominated production was filmed live on Broadway during its original run at the Helen Hayes Theatre.

What the Constitution Means to Me is the latest production to enter the theatrical streaming game. The Tony-nominated Broadway show was filmed live during the final week of its Broadway run in 2019, and the play will premiere on Amazon Prime on October 16. Amazon Studios has also signed an overall deal with Schreck to create content for Prime Video. Marielle Heller directed the live capture and streamed production.

"I'm delighted with how beautifully Mari Heller has translated Constitution to the screen and I'm thankful to Big Beach and Amazon Studios for making it possible to share the show with more people — especially right now when we can't gather together in theaters," Schreck said in a statement. "In light of the moment we are living through, I am donating part of my proceeds from this film to the Broadway Cares COVID Relief Fund and to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund's Voting Rights 2020 initiative."

Written by and originally starring Heidi Schreck, What the Constitution Means to Me follows Schreck's own childhood constitutional debates and evolves into a reflection on and discussion of the document's systematic omission of underrepresented communities, including women, immigrants, and people of color. The play was directed by Oliver Butler and also starred Mike Iveson, Rosdely Ciprian, and Thursday Williams. 

"Heidi Schreck is one of today's most relevant and original voices, and What the Constitution Means to Me delivers a point of view that is equal parts hilarious, heartbreaking and hopeful," Albert Cheng, COO and Co-Head of Television, Amazon Studios said in a statement. "We are proud to bring the award-winning Broadway show to the screen for Prime Video and we know that Schreck's next projects will embody the same intelligence and humanity."

Comissioned by True Love Productions, What the Constitution Means to Me had its world premiere at Clubbed Thumb in 2017 as part of the company's annual Summerworks Festival. The play opened off Broadway at New York Theatre Workshop in 2018 before moving to the Greenwich House Theatre that same year. The play ran at the Helen Hayes Theatre on Broadway March 14-Aug. 24, 2019, ahead of launching a national tour starring Maria Dizzia in Schreck's role. The production was nominated for Best Play and Best Performance by a Leading Actress at the 2019 Tony Awards, and it was also a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.