Rachel’s Words

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06296/732263-53.stm

SHADYSIDE: University of Pittsburgh students and faculty present a dramatic reading of “The Story of Rachel Corrie: A Death in Rafah” at 7:30 p.m. today and tomorrow at First Unitarian Church, 605 Morewood Ave. The presentation is a new version of the controversial play “My Name Is Rachel Corrie.” A discussion follows. Fee is $10, or $5 for students and seniors. Proceeds benefit the church’s Committee for Justice in the Middle East. For advance tickets, call 412-621-8008, Ext. 314.

The making of an activist
by John Lahr, New Yorker

In a one-person show, the most important question is not where to start the story but why to tell it. The actor needs a compelling reason, beyond vanity, to step from the wings onto th stage. There has to be both need and news; there rarely is. One exception is the riveting “My Name Is Rachel Corrie” (at the Minetta Lane, under the deft direction of Alan Rickman, who also co-edited the play, with the journalist Katharine Viner). “Rachel Corrie” is a ventriloquist’s act in which the bright, fine-boned Megan Dodds, who radiates a sense of both privilege and pluck, resuscitates from diary entries and e-mails the voice and being of the American pro-Palestinian activist Rachel Corrie, who died at the age of twenty-three. For most of her life Corrie was haunted by the suffering in the world. In the play, which is a kind of ghost story, she returns to haunt us.

The Story of Rachel Corrie: A Death in Rafah Friday,

October 27, 2006

7:30 PM First Unitarian Church

605 Morewood Ave.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

40.4507, -79.9429

University of Pittsburgh students and faculty present a dramatic reading of “The Story of Rachel Corrie: A Death in Rafah” at 7:30 p.m. today and tomorrow at First Unitarian Church, 605 Morewood Ave.The presentation is a new version of the controversial play “My Name Is Rachel Corrie.” A discussion follows.

Fee is $10, or $5 for students and seniors.

Proceeds benefit the church’s Committee for Justice in the Middle East. For advance tickets, call 412-621-8008, Ext. 314.

A Controversial Death Provokes a Controversial Play
A monologue fashioned from the words of a woman killed in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict creates drama on-stage and off
By Cathleen McGuigan, Newsweek

Oct. 16, 2006 - Do you remember the name Rachel Corrie? Maybe not. She was a 23-year-old American peace activist killed by an Israeli Army bulldozer as she tried to block the destruction of a Palestinian’s house in Gaza in March 2003. She became more than a footnote in the Middle East conflict when her own words—from her journals and e-mails—were shaped into an award-winning one-actor play in London called “My Name is Rachel Corrie.” But when the show’s U.S. opening last spring was cancelled at the New York Theater Workshop (best known for spawning the musical “Rent”), a controversy erupted. The theater’s artistic director had made his decision after talking to leaders in the Jewish community; he later told The New York Times, “It seemed as though if we proceeded, we would be taking a stand we didn’t want to take.” The London producers called the cancellation “censorship.”

“My Name is Rachel Corrie” Opens in New York
Wednesday, October 18th, 2006

“My Name is Rachel Corrie” – a play based on the life of the late US peace activist who was killed by an Israeli bulldozer - was scheduled to open last March at the New York Theatre Workshop. But six weeks before opening night, the theater announced it was indefinitely postponing the production. The move that was widely criticized as an act of censorship. On Sunday, the play finally opened at the Minetta Lane Theatre in New York. We play exclusive excerpts of the play, and speak with Rachel Corrie’s father, Craig; her sister, Sarah; and the play’s co-editor, Katharine Viner. [includes rush transcript]

Rachel Corrie was killed in Gaza three years ago when she stood in front of an Israeli bulldozer set to demolish a Palestinian home. The play is based on Corrie”s writings before her death. “My Name is Rachel Corrie” was scheduled to open last March at the New York Theatre Workshop. But six weeks before opening night, the theater announced it was indefinitely postponing production of the play. They cited the current political climate as the reason for the cancelation, pointing to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon”s coma and the election of Hamas.The move was widely criticized by artists and activists all over the world. At the time, we had a debate on Democracy Now and I read a letter written by Nobel laureate Harold Pinter to the artistic director of the New York Theatre Workshop James Nicola and the theater”s managing director, Lynn Moffat. The co-editor of the play, Katherine Viner, joined us from London.

For Immediate Release,
Please Contact: Michael Hartman/Carol Fineman
(212) 398-1800

MY NAME IS RACHEL CORRIE
EXTENDS AT THE MINETTA LANE THEATER
THROUGH DECEMBER 30TH ONLY

New York, NY… Dena Hammerstein and Pam Pariseau for James Hammerstein Productions are proud to announce that the American premiere of London’s Royal Court Theatre production of MY NAME IS RACHEL CORRIE, a new play taken from the writings of American activist Rachel Corrie, will extend through December 30th only. The play opened Off Broadway at The Minetta Lane Theatre on Sunday, October 15, 2006. Directed by Alan Rickman, MY NAME IS RACHEL CORRIE began previews on Thursday, October 5, 2006. Tickets are on sale through Ticketmaster.com at 212-307-4100 or at the Minetta Lane Theatre box office, 18 Minetta Lane (just off Sixth Avenue) in person or at 212 420-8000.

Ticket prices range from $25 - $75.

Ben Brantley of The New York Times said “Rachel Corrie’s sense of the world gone so awry that it forces her to question her ‘fundamental belief in the goodness of human nature’ is sure to strike sadly familiar chords.”

In conjunction with the release of “My Name is Rachel Corrie,” the Center for Constitutional Rights invites you to:
Rachel’s Legacy: An evening of art and discussion on how activists today are working to support the people of Palestine

Monday, October 16, 2006
Doors open at 6:00pm; program begins at 7:00pm

Judson Memorial Church
243 Thompson Street entrance (corner of Thompson Street and Washington Square South)

Free and Open to the Public
Wheelchair accessible

Featuring:

• Craig and Cindy Corrie, Rachel Corrie’s parents on their daughter’s life, their trips to Palestine, and their fight for justice;
• Maria LaHood, attorney on Corrie v. Caterpillar, Center for Constitutional Rights on the case against Caterpillar and the status of the lawsuit;
• Huwaida Arraf and Adam Shapiro, International Solidarity Movement on their work today in Palestine and Lebanon;
• Bread and Puppet installation from Daughter Courage.

Rachel Corrie, an American peace activist, was killed by a Caterpillar D9 bulldozer in 2003 as she stood in front of a Palestinian family’s home, protecting it from being demolished while the family was inside.

** Tickets for the production are now on sale by calling (212) 307-4100 or by visiting www.ticketmaster.com.

My Name Is Rachel Corrie to Play Off-Broadway’s Minetta Lane
By Andrew Gans and Robert Simonson
22 Jun 2006

Megan Dodds in the Royal Court production of My Name Is Rachel Corrie.

The acclaimed, and controversial, Royal Court Theatre production of My Name Is Rachel Corrie has finally found a New York home. It will begin performances at Off-Broadway’s Minetta Lane Theatre Oct. 15. The limited engagement will play 48 performances through Nov. 19.

The play, which is taken from the writings of the late American activist Rachel Corrie, will be directed by actor Alan Rickman, who, with journalist Katharine Viner, edited Corrie’s writings.

The play opened in April 2005 at London’s Royal Court Theatre and returned for an encore engagement in October 2005. It later played nine weeks at London’s Playhouse Theatre in spring 2006. The play was nominated for an Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement.

The play “My Name is Rachel Corrie” opens in New York City
Download .pdf file here

Media Contact: Tom Wallace: (617) 461-1041

www.rachelswords.org

October 14, 2006

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New York, NY - With the long awaited opening of the play “My Name is Rachel Corrie” at the Minetta Lane Theater[1], we’d like to dispel some common myths that have often crept into media coverage regarding Rachel’s death so we can focus instead on her life. We hope to avert factual errors and unnecessary controversy so the play can speak for itself. Towards that end, and with the cooperation of Rachel’s family, we have prepared this fact sheet along with clearly referenced sources.

Please feel free to contact us with any questions. For downloadable high resolution photos of Rachel Corrie click here: http://www.rachelswords.org/about/press-resources

BACKGROUND: Rachel Corrie was a 23 year old college student and human rights activist from Olympia, Washington. On March 16, 2003, she was run over and killed by an Israeli military bulldozer in Rafah, Gaza, while defending a Palestinian home from demolition. A gifted writer, Rachel left behind a series of diaries and emails from an early age which were crafted into a play by Alan Rickman and Katharine Viner. While the United States government in its annual human rights report describes Rachel as “a US citizen peace activist” and designates her as a human rights observer, [2] this is often obscured by the fog of misinformation surrounding her.

Katharine Viner, who adapted the activist’s journal to the stage, weighs in on the furious controversy and Corrie’s ‘powerful voice.’
Liel Leibovitz, Jewish Week

As a preview performance of the new play “My Name is Rachel Corrie” drew to an end in a downtown theater one day last week, it didn’t take long for passions to run high.

With some members of the audience still applauding the now-empty stage, others quickly engaged in political scuffles. “You,” one woman hissed at two excitable teenagers, clapping hard, “clearly didn’t understand the play,” implying that the teenagers’ enthusiasm was due to an incomplete understanding of the intricacies of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The teenagers muttered something in response.

Elsewhere in the thick line of people snaking out of the theater, debates sprung up forcefully: Was the play moving or manipulative? Was Corrie, the 23-year-old American activist killed by an Israeli bulldozer in Gaza in 2003, a martyr or a stooge?

Even before she became the subject of a play, Corrie’s legacy galvanized supporters and enraged detractors. To the former, she was a heroic figure, a fearless young woman who was not afraid to sacrifice her life for a cause she believed in, namely Palestinian rights and the end of Israeli occupation. To the latter, Corrie and the organization to which she belonged — the International Solidarity Movement — were, at best, apologists for Palestinian terrorism and, at worst, hateful zealots.