Associate professor and chair of equality law at Windsor Law, Joshua Sealy-Harrington played a pivotal role as a constitutional and legal consultant on Soulpepper Theatre’s adaptation of What the Constitution Means to Me.

A Broadway production of playwright Heidi Schreck’s work was nominated for the Tony Award for best play and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and won an Obie Award for best new American play and the New York Drama Critics’ Circle award for best American play. In preparing for the Toronto production, it underwent thoughtful adjustments to connect with Canadian audiences, thanks in part to Prof. Sealy-Harrington’s expertise.

Sealy-Harrington's involvement focused on guiding Schreck and director Weyni Mengesha through the complex legal and political nuances surrounding Canada’s constitutional debates. His insights helped adapt the play’s U.S.-centric discussions on rights and justice to reflect contemporary Canadian issues, particularly those shaped by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

As described in The New York Times, “Over three days this year, Schreck, Mengesha, and (lead actress Amy) Rutherford held a workshop to imagine what a Canadian take on the play could look like. Joshua Sealy-Harrington, a Canadian constitutional scholar, helped tease out the politics, including how the modern charter is actually working and who it is and isn’t protecting.”

The adaptation allows Canadian audiences to connect with the play’s powerful themes of equality and justice. Its limited run, presented by Soulpepper and Nightwood Theatre in association with Necessary Angel and Talk is Free Theatre, was timed to overlap with the U.S. election, with performances Oct. 31 to Nov. 10.