"My Name is Rachel Corrie", a one-woman show based on the diaries and emails written by Rachel Corrie, the 23-year old American activist killed by an Israeli military bulldozer on March 16, 2003, while trying to prevent the soldiers from leveling a Palestinian home in Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
The play, directed by Alan Rickman, showed two successful runs last year at the Royal Court Theater in London, yet in New York, USA, the play was postponed causing controversy and suspensions of censorship.
Rickman said after the decision was made in February that the show was actually canceled rather than postponed.
"One can only guess at the pressures of funding an independent theater company in New York but calling this production ‘postponed’ does not disguise the fact that it has been canceled," Rickman said.
Hundreds of letters to newspapers and an Internet petition signed by hundreds of people accused the NYTW of censorship and cowardice for delaying the show about the death of the peace activist crushed by a huge Israeli military bulldozer.
"This is censorship of the worst kind," actress Vanessa Redgrave said in a statement on the Web site counterpunch.com.
The play was edited from Corrie’s own words and is a highly personal story from childhood through her time in Gaza.
"This is censorship of the worst kind," actress Vanessa Redgrave said in a statement on the Web site counterpunch.com.
Last month, New York Theater Workshop told its British partners that the production was postponed; the decision was made after discussions with religious leaders and representatives of the Jewish community.
The delay of show was postponed indefinitely, these were the exact words used in the decision in February.
Meanwhile, the NYTW said it needs more time “to prepare panel discussions” and other events to provide context to the play.
The NYTW said in a latter on March 14 that in researching the play, the company found what was described as “distorted accounts of actual circumstances regarding the death of Rachel.
Following is the letter of the NYTW;
While our commitment to the play did not waver, our responsibility was not just to produce it, but to produce it in such a way as to prevent false and tangential back-and-forth arguments from interfering with Rachel’s voice. We spoke to friends and colleagues in the artistic community and to religious leaders as well as to representatives of the Jewish community, because the play involved Israeli action. It was this piece of our research that has attracted attention and led some of you to conclude that we sought to postpone the production based solely on their response. This was not the case. No outside group has ever or will ever participate in the artistic decision-making process at NYTW.
As we listened to various opinions and read thousands of entries on websites and blogs, we realized we needed to find ways to let Rachel’s words rise above the polemics. We regret that requesting more time to achieve that goal was interpreted as failing to fulfill a commitment and, worse, as censorship. If we have erred, it was on the side of trying to be sensitive to all communities, in order to keep a public dialog open and civil.
I also regret any pain or confusion we have caused in trying to fulfill our responsibility to the art itself and to the community we serve. I can only say we were trying to do whatever we could to help Rachel’s voice be heard.
The statement of Vanessa Redgrave as reported by Counterpunch.com;
I am urging the Royal Court Theater to sue the New York Theater Workshop for the cancellation of the production of "My Name Is Rachel Corrie". Not because I donated money for this production, which the Royal Court have been fundraising for–a target of 50,000 pounds, underwritten by Alan Rickman.
This is censorship of the worst kind. More awful even than that. It is black-listing a dead girl and her diaries. A very brave and exceptional girl who all citizens, whatever their faith or nationality, should be proud and grateful for her existence. They couldn’t silence her voice while she lived, so she was killed. Her voice began to speak again as Alan Rickman read her diaries, and Megan Dodds became Rachel Corrie. Now the New York Theater Workshop have silenced that dear voice.
I shall never forget the glimpse, at the close of Alan Rickman’s production, of Rachel when 10 years old, shot on a little family movie camera, making her speech about world poverty and the urgent need to end the misery. The New York Theater Workshop have silenced that little girl, as well as the girl who confronted the Israeli army Caterpillar bulldozer.
There has to be a court case on the sheer fact of the cancellation of this production. I suppose lawyers were consulted about the word "postponed". We in the theater know however what canceling a production means, whatever words are used. Megan Dodds, and a crew lose their jobs. The Royal Court Theater lose a production that was a few weeks from opening in New York City.
For the Royal Court Theater were producing "Rachel Corrie", with the New York Theater Workshop, and putting up a lot of money–$100,000 dollars.
I hope that all theater artists, writers, designers, actors, directors, independent producers and artists’ representatives will make their protests known publicly as well as directly to the New York Theater Workshop management. I hope that American Actors Equity will be asked to take up and support the Royal Court Theater producer, Elyse Dodgson, the director, Alan Rickman, and the actress Megan Dodds.
If this cancellation is not transformed into a new production, somewhere in New York, immediately, we would be complicit, all of us, in a catastrophe that must not be allowed to take place. This play is not about taking sides. It is about protecting human beings.
In this case, Palestinian human beings who have no protection, for their families, their homes or their streets.
Rachel Corrie gave her life to protect a family. She didn’t have or use a gun or bomb.
She had her huge humanity, and she gave that to save lives.
Meanwhile, NYTW Artistic Director James Nicola told Reuters that a verbal agreement was reached in early January between the two theaters for showing the play.
He added that he had notified the Royal Court about the delay in February, but also informed them that he still wants to produce the play in later day.
After the play was opened in London, in April 2005, most reviews were positive, yet the Times newspaper said that some of the scene are showing a one-sided portrayal for the Middle-East conflict, and even described it as "unvarnished propaganda".
Also, Redgrave said that the play is not about taking sides, but about protecting human beings.
She added that if the cancellation of the play was not transformed into a new production, the people should not be complicit in catastrophe that must not be allowed to take place.
“Rachel had no gun, or bomb, she had her huge humanity”, Redgrave stated, “She gave her life to protect the Palestinian family, she gave her huge humanity to save lives”.
