My Name is Rachel Corrie
Taken from the writings of Rachel Corrie

Adapted by Katherine Viner & Alan Rickman.
Directed by Mathew Green
October 8 - 24

starring Lindsey Markel as Rachel Corrie

  assistant director -- Martha A. Mills
  set designer / producer -- Eric Burton
  lighting design -- Jesse Folks

Based on the life and writings of Rachel Corrie, a young American artist and activist, this one-person play follows Corrie from her home in Olympia, Washington to the center of the Israeli/Palestinian Conflict.  Corrie, who was only twenty-three at the time of her death, traveled to Gaza as part of a pro-Palestinian peace movement.  Her letters, journal entries, and e-mails to family and friends are at the heart of this powerful drama, which showcases her search for meaning and purpose in a time of great turmoil.

On Thursday, October 15, there will be a special "Talk-Back" session following the performance.  We encourage participation and discussion, and we hope to see you at the show.

** On behalf of the Celebration Company at the Station Theatre, the production team of My Name is Rachel Corrie would like to address the often controversial nature of this play and its content.

We are a company of artists—actors, directors, playwrights, and designers—and our intent is only ever to create and present art that will entertain our audience and enrich our community.  This desire on our part often involves the handling of sensitive subjects and can result in strong opinions, but we have never and would never seek to offend or alienate our friends, neighbors, or patrons.

This play, which is based on the writings of Rachel Corrie, has sometimes met with resistance; in some cases, it has been accused of promoting inflammatory political views.  We acknowledge this, and we respect those who disagree with the statements made in our production.  The words are Rachel’s own, taken from her journals and correspondence, and we do not dispute the fact that they present only one side of a contentious debate.  Our intent, in producing this work, is not to create controversy for controversy’s sake, nor is it to espouse a particular political view.  This is Rachel’s account, as seen through her eyes and filtered through her beliefs.  We are not claiming that her opinion is correct, only that it is hers.

We view this play not in terms of the political, but in terms of the human.  And we hope to depict Rachel as a human being, full of talent and opinions, full of insecurities and foibles.  Regardless of one’s opinion of Rachel Corrie, her views, or her work in Gaza, we hope to show her as a young woman—a young American—whose passion to help others resulted in a difficult journey, a deeper understanding of herself, and her untimely death.  She was, like those she befriended and those she decried, someone’s child.  She was, like those defended and those she opposed, ultimately human.

This play is presented in an effort to facilitate communication.  We hope to start conversations, not to end them.  And, whether or not we agree with each other’s statements, we hope always to listen and to be heard.

~Mathew Green
Director, My Name is Rachel Corrie