Rachel Corrie play: censored in Toronto
The lobby prevents Rachel Corrie’s voice from being heard — again.
From Variety, Dec. 22:
‘Corrie’ canceled in Canada
Play has potential to offend Jewish community
It’s curtains for “My Name Is Rachel Corrie” in Canada.
By RICHARD OUZOUNIAN
CanStage, the country’s largest not-for-profit theater, has changed its opinion and decided not to present the show as part of its 2007-2008 season.
Play, about the 23-year-old American activist who died under the wheels of an Israeli bulldozer in 2003, was originally produced at London’s Royal Court Theatre in 2005.
When James Nicola programmed it this year for the N.Y. Theatre Workshop, pressure from Jewish board members caused him to cancel the show. It was eventually produced Off-Broadway, where it ran from Oct. 15 to Dec. 17.
“It didn’t seem as powerful on the stage as it did on the page,” said artistic producer Martin Bragg after seeing the production at Gotham’s Minetta Lane Theater.
But in a situation eerily similar to the one that faced Nicola, it appears that pressure has been brought upon Bragg from some of his board members not to alienate the Toronto Jewish community.
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 to Jews.”
Bragg denies he was lobbied by the board in any way and insisted that “I pick the plays. No one on our board has ever told me what we can and can’t do.”
CanStage posted a $700,000 loss last season and is currently facing a struggle after producing 10 plays in 2006, none of which met with critical or audience approval.
From David in WW4 report
Those who followed the saga of the original cancellation of “My Name is Rachel Corrie” will recall New York Theater Workshop Artistic Director James Nicola’s first explanation as to why the play had been cancelled: “Listening in our communities in New York, what we heard was that after Ariel Sharon’s illness and the election of Hamas in the recent Palestinian elections, we had a very edgy situation.”(LAT, March 10)
An echo of Nicola’s fears north of the border occurred within the last couple of months in the Canadian Jewish News. Upon hearing of the possible staging in Toronto of My Name is Rachel Corrie, Alicia Richler, associate director of communications for the Canada-Israel Committee, said that although everyone in Canada has the right to free speech, the timing of the news is poor, since an Israeli man was recently killed when a rocket launched from the northern Gaza Strip hit a factory in Sderot.
From the Toronto Star Dec. 24. The alternate version being told among CanStage insiders: Members of Bragg’s board were alarmed by negative response from influential supporters of the theatre, especially in Toronto’s Jewish community, who were canvassed for their opinion. Many were dismayed and openly critical when confronted with the prospect of the city’s flagship not-for-profit theatre producing a play that could be construed as anti-Semitic propaganda, especially during a frightening period when Israel’s existence is threatened by Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas.
Contacts for the CanStage Theater in Toronto
Audience Relations, Company Information,
House Programs, Media Requests
Valorie Block
Publicity and Communications Manager
T 416.367.8243 x259
vblock@canstage.com
Customer Service
Carla Arnold
Customer Service Manager and Privacy Officer
T 416.367.8243 x229
carnold@canstage.com
December 24th, 2006 at 11:55 pm
I just sent this letter off.
Dear Ms Valorie Block,
No doubt your decision to cancel “My Name is Rachel Corrie”, was not an easy one. However, as an American Jew I would like you to know how disappointed I am that the CanStage Board made the decision to not show this play, stating that it could be construed as anti-Semitic propaganda, especially during a frightening period when Israel’s existence is threatened by Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas. The turth is, the words written in the play and in Rachel Corrie’s diary are those of a young woman who was killed standing up to a made in the U.S. Caterpillar Bulldozer as she tried to prevent the destruction of a home where a Palestinian doctor, his wife and children lived.
Yes, it is a frightening period, for Israelis and also for Palestinians and Lebanese. I am ashamed of the fact of the Occupation by the Israeli government and how it has affected so many innocent civilians. When I last went to the area in October of 2005, I saw the constuction of the illegal Separation Wall, the Checkpoints, the Israeli military preventing:
A. farmers to get to their own farms and harvest their crops, B. students to travel to school & get an education, C. the sick to get to the hospital.
I am ashamed of the role the U.S. government has taken supplying billions of dollars so the above has taken place with my tax dollars, AND I am so sorry that CanStage, the country’s largest not-for-profit theater, has caved in and decided not to present the show as part of its 2007-2008 season.
In peace with justice,
Marlena Santoyo
Philadelphia, PA, USA
January 17th, 2007 at 7:08 pm
This is an unfortunate decision by the theatre. Censorship is something we need to be very careful about.
I am not sure that “offending the Jewish community” is a valid reason to cancel a play. Borag offended every community, including myself, and yet it was ultimately my choice to go see it. It’s about choice.
Activist groups in Toronto will ensure that Rachel’s story gets told.
March 6th, 2007 at 8:20 pm
The Jewish lobby in Toronto is pathetic. Perhaps they should compell their government to stop murdering people so that their deaths won’t be so offensive to them. the Jessica Lynch Story offended me, i just chose not to watch it. see? it works.