Santa Barbara students Nicola Bailey and Grace Wilson are joining the cast of Ensemble Theatre Company’s summer production of “What the Constitution Means to Me.”

Directed by Matt Hawkins, the Tony-nominated and Pulitzer Prize-finalist play was written by Heidi Schreck and dives into the impact of the U.S. Constitution on our lives, and offers insight into Schreck’s teenage constitutional debate experiences.

A partnership with the University of Notre Dame, the play stars Stacy Stoltz as Heidi and Paul Fagen as Legionnaire, with Bailey and Wilson as the Student Debater.

Bailey, an actor and writer based in Santa Barbara, is a junior at Dos Pueblos High School. She has appeared in numerous local productions, including Fiona in “Shrek: The Musical;” Ariel in “The Little Mermaid;” Edith in “The Plot, Like Gravy, Thickens;” and Purity in “Anything Goes!”

She has won national Gold and Silver medals in the Scholastic Art and Writing awards, and received the National New York Life Award and the California State New York Life Award for her personal essay in 2023.

Bailey is an editor for Dos Pueblos High School’s online newspaper the Charger Account, and served as a student photographer for the Santa Barbara International Film Festival’s directors panel, which was honoring Martin Scorcese and Justin Triet.

An actor and aspiring writer and director, Wilson is a Santa Barbara High School graduate, she is now a theater arts major at SBCC. She has participated in several productions with The Theatre Group: most recently as Rachel Parsons in “The Outsider” in the spring, and Harriet in “Emma.”

She was recently featured in two award-winning films that premiered at the SBIFF 10-10-10 in February 2024. She is president/founder of the SBCC Theatre Arts Club, and was granted the SBCC Theatre Arts Department Outstanding Student of the Year Award.

Wilson is involved in activism surrounding youth safety in her community. She garnered some 11,000 signatures for a petition on Cliff Bluff Safety she created that led to the passing of an eight-point plan voted on by the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors.

For the run of “What the Constitution Means to Me,” ETC is pricing every seat at $30, and anyone under 18 can get a free ticket. The special pricing is made possible thanks to producers Susan Lichtenstein and John Rokacz, and supporting producer Paula Bruice. 

“What the Constitution Means to Me” runs Aug. 15-18. Tickets available by calling the ETC box office, 805-965-5400 or online at etcsb.org.