What the Constitution Means to Me's Thursday Williams and Rosdely Ciprian on Dream Celebrity Guests & More

Being a high school student is difficult enough with trying to balance homework, extracurricular activities and a social life, but for senior Thursday Williams and freshman Rosdely Ciprian, life is even busier because they spend their evenings debating Tony nominee Heidi Schreck in the Tony-nominated play What the Constitution Means to Me on Broadway.

Williams and Ciprian alternate taking the stage at the Helen Hayes Theatre, something neither of them ever dreamed of doing. "I was very interested in law because where I grew up I witnessed a lot of injustice," Williams said to Ryan Lee Gilbert in a recent interview on Broadway.com's #LiveAtFive. "I joined the Explorer's Program to work closer with cops to bridge the community. I started debating at NYU Law School my sophomore year of high school and at the Brooklyn Law School my junior year and senior year. I got really close to my theater teacher and they sent her a casting call saying, 'Looking for a young woman of color who is curious about the constitution and has experience at debate.' I auditioned, got call backed, auditioned again and here we are." Fellow debater Ciprian had a similar experience. "I was in my middle school debate team but I was also doing plays," she said. "We did The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Annie, which I starred in. My teacher recommended me for the role. I went to the audition and I had to memorize an excerpt of Heidi's speech. I got called back and here we are. That was two years ago."

The duo have been with the play since its off-Broadway run at New York Theatre Workshop and are elated to see the work get recognized. "I'm very excited that we got a Tony nomination," Ciprian said. 'It’s a surreal experience but we can't be like, 'Oh, we're doing this for the Tony Award' because that wasn’t our original intention from the beginning. We just wanted to spread the conversation of the play." While this is the first time both young women have acted professionally, they understand the importance of the spotlight awards season brings. "It’s more scary now that we have a Tony nomination," Williams said. "The pressure is on, so I’m more scared now than when I first started. I'm still trying to take it all in. I've never done acting before in my life so it still feels like I'm dreaming. Sometimes tears come to my eyes before I go on stage because I know what I represent and I know where I came from. Now I get to go in front of all these people and show them who I am and what I represent. That’s what makes me not nervous."

Although Williams and Ciprian are having the time of their lives, appearing in an acclaimed Broadway play doesn't come without sacrifice. "At first I just wanted to be a doctor," Ciprian said. "I started doing this two years ago and got bit by the theater bug. Now I really want to do this and become a famous actress one day." For Williams, the experience also changed the way she's approaching her career goals. "I was already pretty busy," Williams said. "I'm sergeant of the Explorer's Program and have the Legal Outreach Program. The show has changed my social life, but I think for the better. I'm more focused now. Because of the show, I now know I want to run for Congress. Because of the show, I now know which issues to prioritize. Even though I lost my social life, I gained a lot."

Celebrities have been flocking to witness What the Constitution Means to Me for themselves, which means that the high school students have been able to meet some of their biggest heroes. "I love Black Panther and The Walking Dead, so when Danai Gurira came to my show I died," Williams said. "I would love for Michelle Obama to come see it; I'm reading her book right now and the more I read, the more I love her. I feel like we can make many connections. Everybody knows I love Ruth Bader Ginsburg. When I go on stage I have a pencil that says Notorious RBG." Ciprian is just as prepared with her own list of invitations: "Meryl Streep and Ben Stiller came. Hilary Clinton came when we were off-Broadway, and I was shaking I was so nervous," she said. "I definitely want Oprah, Michelle Obama, Whoopi Goldberg, and my favorite influencer and YouTuber Liza Koshy to come see the show." Williams left the interview with one final request: "Can I say a message to Queen Latifah? I watch you all the time. I watch your interviews, I watch Star. Michelle Obama, I’m reading your book and loving it. Come see the show. Come to the stage door, they’ll let you in, they know who you are."

Be sure to catch Williams and Ciprian in What the Constitution Means to Me, now playing at the Helen Hayes Theatre.

Watch the full #LiveAtFive interview below!