Events Upcoming
New Members
The University of Illinois Springfield Center for State Policy and Leadership is partnering with the UIS Performing Arts Center for the production of “What the Constitution Means to Me” in celebration of Constitution Day. There will be four performances of the show from Sept. 17-20 in the UIS Studio Theatre. There will be a post-show panel discussion on Sept. 17 featuring Ursula Phillips-Eccles, Deborah Anthony, professor of legal studies at the University of Illinois Springfield, and Carly Shank, director of local arts and education for the UIS Performing Arts Center, which will be moderated by Randy Eccles, general manager of NPR Illinois. The performance on Sept. 17 will also be ASL-interpreted.
“The audience doesn’t watch democracy in this play,” said Meredith Vogel-Thomas, director of the play. “By the end, I want participation to feel less like an obligation and more like the only thing that makes sense.”
There are three performers in the show: Carly Shank as Heidi, Mark Wheeler as the Legionnaire and Ursula Phillips-Eccles as the Debater.
“The play ends with a real debate between Heidi and the Debater, who is a 16-year-old current high school student,” Shank said. “A member of the audience will get to decide who wins the debate. This is perhaps the most audience-interactive part of the play but it is interactive throughout.”
Tickets can be purchased online at UISpac.com. The cost is $20 for UIS faculty, staff and students and $22 for adults. Ticket prices will increase on Sept. 14 to $24.
