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| Corrie play opens in London
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A play taken entirely from the writings of a young American student killed by an Israeli bulldozer has opened in London.
‘My Name is Rachel Corrie’ tells the story of 23-year-old Corrie (acted by Megan Dodd), who was killed in Gaza in 2003 while protesting against the Israeli occupation.
The play is directed by British actor Alan Rickman who starred in the recent Harry Potter films as well as Love, Actually. Rickman also co-edited the production with Katharine Viner, editor of the Guardian Weekend magazine.
It is showing again after its initial sell-out run in April at the upstairs theatre.
Viner was asked to edit Corrie’s writings — diaries, notebooks, poems, emails and letters — by the Royal Court Theatre and, having heard about her story, wanted to get involved.
She told EJP: “I read the emails that were published after her death and had been impressed by the quality of her writing and the way Rachel seemed to reflect the concerns of a younger generation trying to find a form of public commitment.”
Viner said she hopes the audience will appreciate the power and conviction of Corrie’s words.
“I want them to feel that they have been in the company of an extraordinary young
woman, and to feel, as Rachel said, that they are ‘willing to resist the direction the world is moving in, where the highest level of humanity is expressed through what we choose to buy at the mall.’”
“She found a way to be political in a depoliticised age. She cared passionately for justice, and unlike many of us, she tried to do something about it.”
Politically motivated
Born in Olympia, Washington, in 1979, Corrie was a keen poet and painter and kept a diary of her observations on the outside world.
She became interested in the Middle East after taking a course in the politics of the area while at Evergreen State College, a liberal arts college also in Olympia.
In January 2003, she travelled to Rafah, a border town on the Gaza Strip, where she joined other members of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), a Palestinian-led movement which, according to its website, is committed to ‘resisting the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land using non-violent, direct-action methods and principles’.
She died on March 16, 2003, trying to prevent an Israeli army bulldozer demolishing Palestinian houses in the Rafah refugee camp.
An Israeli investigation concluded that the driver of the bulldozer had not seen her, but this is disputed by the activists.
Anti-Israel play?
Some groups are questioning why a play about Corrie is necessary, but Viner denies it encourages hatred of Israel.
“The play is about how Rachel found her own political voice, which happened to be by going to Gaza,” she told EJP, “but, as Rachel's words make clear, she is not hostile to Israel, she is instead hostile to the occupation of the Palestinian territories, a sentiment shared by a large section of the Israeli population, and which led to this summer’s disengagement from Gaza.”
But Jonny Paul, who is organising an unaffiliated protest ahead of ‘The skies are weeping’ a concert for Corrie due to be held at the Hackney Empire on November 1, believes her death has been manipulated by anti-Israel protagonists.
“I feel that it’s being singled out as a battering tool against Israel,” he said.
“We are not questioning the fact that she died in tragic circumstances. It was a tragic and senseless loss but dozens of people on the Israeli side have also been killed in suicide bomb and terrorist attacks and they haven’t been turned into martyrs. It should be put in context,” he added.
“What are they trying to achieve?” he asked. “It’s not going to increase understanding between the two sides or bring them to the negotiating table. “Now, more than ever, is the time to bury the hatchet and promote dialogue,” Paul stressed.
For more information or to book tickets, visit www.royalcourttheatre.com or call the Box Office on 00 44 20 7565 5000.
The production is showing until October 29 at the Royal Court’s Jerwood Theatre in London.
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