FINALLY! My Name Is Rachel Corrie

[mejusthavingfun]

Posted: 8/28/06 at 9:49am

Finally! "My Name is Rachel Corrie" is coming. I was about to write a letter to the producers to obtain the rights and put in on myself. It is appalling this show was CENSORED last year, Hello it was 2005, so much for progress. With the current Israeli invasion of Lebanon this could not come at a better time.
Playbill link.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 8/28/06 at 11:22am

I got my ticket a few weeks ago and am looking forward to finally seeing what all the fuss and controversy has been about.

[mejusthavingfun]

Posted: 8/28/06 at 11:33am

That's just it; people made a fuss and didn't even see it. It's amazing how far reaching religious zealous and fascism has in our society. What is even more frightening than the obvious censorship is the theatre community’s lack of a response to it. So much for the arts.

[joshy]

Posted: 8/28/06 at 1:13pm

I think people will be disappointed when they see it after all the controversy, and it's not actually that good! There were parts of it I really liked, but it's far too long and there are numerous dead spots. The production's great though, and Megan Dodds' performance is stunning. How small is the theatre it's going into?

[mrkringas]

Posted: 8/28/06 at 1:46pm

I was able to see this at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with Megan Dodds starring. While I agree that the opening half hour is rather monotone and tedious that changed when she goes to Palestine.

The following hour was absolutely harrowing. I read a lot of non-mass media coverage of the suffering in Palestine and have done for several years but there was something visceral about this eye witness account. I felt so angry at times and tears streaming down my face at others.

Good to see its getting a production in New York. This is not about politics but human suffering. If only people could take off their ideological blinkers sometimes and recognise that Jew, Arab, Christian- we are all the same. And no one deserves brutal opression and abuse.

Anyway thats my little speech over. Go and see it but dont expect an amazing theatrical experience. Do expect to see a story that is not being told in the mass media!

[PalJoey]

Posted: 8/28/06 at 2:24pm

I've been following this controversy since the play was first produced in London. It's still unclear to me whether Rachel was furthering the cause of peace or was agitating violence.

Here's an op-ed in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer that says she was an idealist misled:

==
Tuesday, April 4, 2006

Idealist Rachel Corrie was misled

By GILEAD INI
GUEST COLUMNIST

All can agree that the death of a young woman is tragic. Like the hundreds of young lives lost as the target of Palestinian suicide bombers, and like those unintentionally killed during Israeli counterterror operations, the loss of Rachel Corrie undoubtedly has affected many in a painful way.

It is understandable, then, that her friends and family want to keep her memory alive, and they have done so successfully. But whether Corrie's message deserves to be propagated and celebrated by audiences in theater productions such as "My Name is Rachel Corrie" and "Daughter Courage" is a different story. Corrie was an idealist; but as fate had it, her idealism ended up channeled through the radical International Solidarity Movement, an organization that not only puts at risk the lives of Israeli civilians but also the lives of its members.

ISM tells its young followers that Palestinians have the right to armed attacks against Israelis, while at the same time making clear through its activities that Israel has no right to protect its citizens. While the two positions seem mutually contradictory, the organization apparently reconciles them by summing up the complex Israeli-Arab conflict as singularly caused by a sadistic Israel seeking arbitrarily to oppress Palestinians.

In ISM's world, legitimate Israeli security concerns don't exist. The group's narrative obscures the fact that Palestinian terrorism began even before Israel occupied the West Bank and Gaza Strip, that Israel acquired those territories in a war precipitated by neighboring countries openly threatening to destroy the Jewish state and that Israel repeatedly offered to turn over land to the Palestinians. Hamas, whose charter makes clear that the group's violence against Israeli civilians is rooted in racist ideology and is aimed at destroying Israel, and other groups seeking Israel's annihilation are invisible in the Middle East portrayed by ISM.

Why are those and other important realities about the conflict excised from ISM's depictions? Is it because creating a false dichotomy of blameless Palestinians and faceless Israeli oppressors makes it easier for the group to persuade naïve idealists to risk their lives? Perhaps ISM's activists would be less likely to throw themselves before Israeli bulldozers if they were told that the bulldozers are used to search for very real smuggling tunnels that bring weapons and explosives used against Israeli children. Whatever the reasons, ISM's activists are misled.

But theatergoers should not be misled. They should know that any play based on the ISM's dogmas might possibly provide audiences with a better understanding of the organization's propaganda, but certainly will not offer viewers an accurate, complete or nuanced understanding of the difficult situation in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza Strip. ISM's partial and simplistic views are more geared toward building hatred against Israel than toward forwarding peace, human rights or justice.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gilead Ini is a senior research analyst with the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America.
Idealist Rachel Corrie was misled

[joshy]

Posted: 8/28/06 at 4:30pm

Didn't someone else do it in Edinburgh instead of Megan Dodds? Josephine something?

Everyone I talk to seems to say they find the first part tedious...I found that pretty interesting. It was the only time I felt we really got to know her as a person. I definitely thought it was worth seeing, but I felt the attempts to get the political message across meant that the director + co. forgot their primary aim should have been to make a good piece of theatre.

[mejusthavingfun]

Posted: 8/28/06 at 4:36pm

PalJoey - That article is nothing but pro-Israeli propaganda. That is NOT the truth and though the show does not delve into the real conflict, we will never get an unbiased review in this country. Rachel was murdered and the article is absurd.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 8/28/06 at 5:00pm

One person's truth is another person's propaganda. There are those who say Rachel Corrie was inciting anti-American and anti-Israeli hatred, through her involvement with the International Soildarity Movement, which works closely with Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

This news photograph of Rachel, burning a paper American flag, surrounded by Gaza schoolchildren, is cited by detractors as visual proof that she was not the innocent she is often portrayed to be.



I myself look forward to seeing the play. As I said, I have been following this controversy closely. I wonder whether the play will seem objective or hagiographic.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 8/28/06 at 5:10pm

"It is appalling this show was CENSORED last year"

Exactly how was this show censored?

[mrkringas]

Posted: 8/28/06 at 6:01pm

Seriously that opinion piece was outrageous! I guess I am fortunate that editorial standards in the United Kingdom are a little (but not much!) higher.

As for her involvement with the International Solidarity Movement that is entirely peacful. Hamas is not just the armed resistance but has a seperate wing that runs social services and programmes for an entire people who are living on nothing. Since when was burning your flag a crime? There is no need for her to incite anti-American and Israeli hatred amongst Gaza...its already there. The US Government has funded arms sales to Israel for decades now. Legitimate self defence is one thing but ask yourself this, do they really need to use cluster bombs against civilian populations?

There is so much violence and hatred on both sides. All this play tried to do was give one persons account of what she saw. The sad thing is that the people who see this play are the sort who will already be aware of some of the historical context. A historical context that involved my grandfather doing his national service in Palestine and being shot at by Zionist "terrorisits" in late 1940s...oh how things all change.

Politics aside..its about people on both sides who are being killed. The majority of the US/UK remain blisfully ignorant of the reality of the situation. This is merely an attempt to shine some light.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 8/28/06 at 7:02pm

"As for her involvement with the International Solidarity Movement that is entirely peacful."

Any proof?

[mrkringas]

Posted: 8/28/06 at 8:55pm

The ISM is about raising awareness and non violent resistance.

Even if it wasnt peaceful they have a right to defend themselves. See how you would like it if someone invaded and stole your lands (even David Ben Gurion admitted this) oh but wait that something that happened to the Native Americans didnt it? Just as the British were also quite good in their day at colonising and stealing other people's land. The vicious circle of violence continues.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 8/28/06 at 11:49pm

"Even if it wasnt..."

[mejusthavingfun]

Posted: 8/29/06 at 9:51am

Gothampc said, "Exactly how was this show censored? " -

Well details are scant at best but apparently artistic director of New York Theatre Workshop, James Nicola pulled because it was too “edgy" and sided with the pro-Palestinian stance.

Even if it does side (or is), this is the USA! We have freedom of speech... or do we? I cannot believe more creative people are not outraged. The second someone questions this as censorship they are accused of being an anti-semite. Understand this is an appalling display of fascism and people should know about it.

I hated Tarzan and yes, I think it should close. But I am the last person to say it does not have a right to be produced. Censorship is not acceptable here. This is NOT the Middle-East!


article FYI Updated On: 8/29/06 at 09:51 AM

[mejusthavingfun]

Posted: 8/29/06 at 9:57am

PalJoey - Who cares is there is any proof whether her involvement with the ISM was peaceful. If I want to make a show about Jeffrey Dahmer I will. There should be NO debate about this show. If you wanna question peace, question Israel and it's own actions. Some Holy Land.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 8/29/06 at 9:59am

"There should be NO debate about this show."

Huh?

[mejusthavingfun]

Posted: 8/29/06 at 10:08am

Sorry PalJoey I wasn't clear, what I mean is there should have never been a debate about this show being presented in 2005. There really wasn't a debate, it was just shutdown. That is censorship, plain and simple.

That said, I think it is fantastic if the show sparks a debate or people talking about the issue. That rarely happens.

[TJBarker]

Posted: 11/5/06 at 10:07am

She may have been peaceful but sadly for her and her family she was duped. The naive is used and must pay the price. What the memoirs do not state is that 2 suicide bombers from the U.K were hanging out with her at the same time that she was taunting the Caterpillars, before leaving on their mission to Mike's Cafe in Tel-Aviv. The organization hosting her is a support fron for a military organization. By being in this environment she made herself an uniformed combatant. The ISM uses children, women (as it occured this weekend in Beit Hanoun) as human shields. Under the disguise of a peaceful activity (Ghandi in Burqa), they knowingly or unknowingly enable, support, participate and encourgae others (with their many false and delusionary communications) a group of extremists who will never allow their own women carry on the way Ms. Corrie did. This one sided play, staged by a guilty, self loathing Leftist English Jew, a celebrity, who validates himself between the lost Liberals and the hard Left (Venessa redgrave crowd), is doing a tremendous diservice to everyone, because he is engaging in a charitable falsehood and direct support to enemies of his own civilization. No one ever said that actors were required to think and study real-politics!

[TJBarker]

Posted: 11/5/06 at 2:48pm

Additional note to those unfamiliar with the borderline of Gaza:
The armour plated bulldozers on tracks that operated along the Rafah line have a very limited peripehral vision. The operator cannot see much from the side of the vehicle. From the reports Ms. Corrie was hit from the side and the driver had no way of seeing her. A civilian interjecting himself as a human shield to protect un-uniformed armed combatants is taking a risk to one's own life. She did know it and everyone in the region knew it. Sadly she gave her life mindlessly!

[marilynrita]

Posted: 11/8/06 at 2:19am

I had to comment on the above statements. If you had seen the play, then you would know from the eyewitness account that whether you "believe" the bulldozer had initially seen rachel or not, her head at one point did indeed go up OVER the blade of the bulldozer into full view. Also, I attended the talkback at the theatre when Rachel's parents came. Did you know that there are 3 very different statements from 3 bulldozer drivers about the incident? Did you know that the Israeli government REFUSES to release the official autopsy report to ANYONE including Rachel's parents? Why do you suppose that is? They had so much information of what they had been told and so many different versions it would make your head spin. In fact the Israeli government says Rachel was never even touched by a bulldozer at all. They say she died falling on debris.

It is a one-sided play where rachel's views and opinions are concerned(after all it is her story), but as for what happened to her while she was in Gaza-from the shootings, to the checkpoints, to the destruction of the palestinians food and water- those are things that are not one sided. they happened. on that note i would love to see a pro israel play that defends why it is okay to kill defenseless people who arent even allowed to leave the region. There is no defense for it. and it would be very interesting indeed.