My Name is Rachel Corrie

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My Name is Rachel Corrie is a play based on the diaries and emails of Rachel Corrie. The diaries were edited by Katherine Viner and Alan Rickman, who directed it. Corrie was a member of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) who traveled as an activist to the Gaza Strip during the Second Intifada. She was killed while attempting to prevent an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Caterpillar D9 bulldozer from engaging in the demolition of a home in a Palestinian residential area of Rafah^{[citation needed]}, next to the border with Egypt. She was killed when the bulldozer either drove over her or caused falling debris to land on her. The house in question was in an area the IDF had designated a security zone and claimed contained a network of smuggling tunnels — which turned out to be non-existent^{[citation needed]} — connecting Egypt to the Palestinian side of Rafah^[1].

1 Initial stagings and response
2 Reviews
3 Other stagings
4 Forthcoming Performances
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Initial stagings and response

Alan Rickman first staged My Name is Rachel Corrie in April 2005 at the Royal Court Theatre, London, and it went on to win the Theatregoers' Choice Awards for Best Director and Best New Play, as well as Best Solo Performance for actress Megan Dodds^[2]. The play was scheduled to be transferred to the New York Theatre Workshop in March 2006. However, the New York theatre decided that, because of its political content, the play was to be "postponed indefinitely", after the artistic director polled numerous Jewish groups to get their reaction to the play.^[3] Rickman and Viner denounced the decision and withdrew the show ^[4]^[5]

“

"This is censorship born out of fear, and the New York Theatre Workshop, the Royal Court, New York audiences - all of us are the losers."

”

[edit] Reviews

The play received the following review from Michael Billington in April, 2005

“

...Theatre has no obligation to give a complete picture. Its only duty is to be honest. And what you get here is a stunning account of one woman's passionate response to a particular situation.

And the passion comes blazing through in Corrie's eloquent reaction to her father's inquiry about Palestinian violence. As she says, if we lived where tanks and soldiers and bulldozers could destroy our homes at any moment and where our lives were completely strangled, wouldn't we defend ourselves as best we could?...^[6]

”

Clive Davis gave a short assessment of the play for The Times in April, 2005

“

As for the scenes set in Israel — brilliantly evoked by Hildegard Bechtler’s bullet-pocked concrete set — an element of unvarnished propaganda comes to the fore. With no attempt made to set the violence in context, we are left with the impression of unarmed civilians being crushed by faceless militarists. Early on, Corrie makes a point of informing us that more Israelis have been killed in road accidents than in all the country’s wars put together. As she jots down thoughts in her notebook and fires off e-mails to her parents, she declares that “the vast majority of Palestinians right now, as far as I can tell, are engaging in Gandhian non-violent resistance”. Even the late Yassir Arafat might have blushed at that one.^[7]

”

[edit] Other stagings

My Name is Rachel Corrie played at the West End's Playhouse Theatre in London from March through May 2006. In July 2006 Josephine Taylor took over the role and the show played the Galway Arts Festival, before moving to the Edinburgh Fringe in August. It opened at the Minetta Lane Theatre in New York in October 2006, with Megan Dodds returning as Corrie.

The recent production was reviewed by Peter Birnie of the Vancouver Sun January 29, 2008:

"An excellent piece of polemic, My Name is Rachel Corrie is a powerful slap at the state of Israel. Weighing the show simply on its merits as left-wing agitprop, this is a compelling production. The play asks us to condemn Israel's heavy-handed treatment of Palestinians, and does so with compelling intelligence. It closes with a particularly powerful piece of video, showing an adolescent Rachel Corrie speaking with youthful enthusiasm about helping shape a better world. Fine. Okay. But can we please see a companion piece of theatre about a certain desert-kingdom royal family and its deep complicity in fomenting terrorism against, among many others, Israel and the world's Jewish communities? Let's call it My Name is Osama bin Laden."Sun Review

Variety reports:

Jack Rose, from the CanStage board -- while admitting he has neither read nor seen the script -- said that "my view was it would provoke a negative reaction in the Jewish community." And philanthropist Bluma Appel, after whom CanStage's flagship theater is named, concurred. "I told them I would react very badly to a play that was offensive tohttp://www.pucp.edu.pe/noticias_pucp/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1795&Itemid=21 Jews."^[8]

The Seattle Repertory Theatre ran My Name is Rachel Corrie from March 15 to May 6, 2007, directed by Braden Abraham, featuring Marya Sea Kaminski as Corrie. This showing drew publicity and spawned the creation of a website, Rachel Corrie Facts, intended to provide information and context to balance to what many perceive as a "one-sided, anti-Israel diatribe."^[9]

The Kitchen & Roundhouse Theatre in Silver Spring, Maryland, staged a one-time performance on July 21, 2007. It was directed by Lise Bruneau and featured Mindy Woodhead as Rachel.^[10] My Name Is Rachel Corrie was also one of the featured plays of the Contemporary American Theater Festival in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, shown from July 6 - July 29, 2007. Ed Herendeen was the director, and Anne Marie Nest played Corrie. Some performances have featured post-show discussions.^[11] The New Repertory Theatre [1] in Watertown, Massachusetts staged My Name is Rachel Corrie on March 8-April 5, 2008. Directed by David R. Gammons, featuring Stacy Fischer as Rachel Corrie.

A reading of the play took place in Dublin, Ireland, on March 15th 2008, at the Project Arts Centre. The reading was presented by Amnesty International Irish Section and Fishamble theatre company. Actress Megan Riordan performed the reading.

In 2007, the play was staged in Lima, Peru, at La Plaza ISIL theater under the direction of Nishme Sumar and featuring Gisela Ponce De Leon as Corrie. This was the first performance of the play in a Spanish-speaking country.^[12]

Theatre Yes [2] in Edmonton, Alberta staged My Name is Rachel Corrie March 28 - April 12, 2008.

theatre PANIK [3]staged the play at Tarragon Theatre in Toronto, opening May 29, 2008 with Bethany Jillard performing the role. All four local daily papers gave the play and the actress enthusiastic reviews, but the CBC radio review was highly critical of every aspect of the play.

[edit] Forthcoming Performances

A staging of My Name is Rachel Corrie will take place in Staunton, VA on April 17,18 & 19. The play is directed by Megan Hefner and features Claire Hensley as Rachel Corrie.

My Name is Rachel Corrie will have its Australian premiere at Belvoir St Theatre, Sydney, Australia, on May 14 2008.

A staged reading will be presented in Santa Cruz,CA. on May 31, 2008 with April Bennett playing Rachel Corrie.

The Australian adaptation of My Name is Rachel Corrie will be featured on Dateline on 4 June 2008. You can see a preview before this date. More information here.