STAGE: In the name of peace

On March 16, 2003, Rachel Corrie, a 23-year-old American student and a member of the International Solidarity Movement, was killed by an Israeli bulldozer in the Gaza Strip trying to prevent the demolition of Palestinian homes.

The bulldozer was operated by the Israel Defense Forces and according to the New York Times, Corrie and others were acting as “human shields, ” in trying to stop the crushing of local Palestinian pharmacist Samir Nasrallah.

The one-woman play My Name is Rachel Corrie is composed from Rachel’s own writings – creating a portrait of a “messy, skinny, articulate, Salvador Dali-loving chain-smoker (with a passion for the music of Pat Benatar)” who left home in Olympia, Washington to “support non-violent resistance to Israel’s military occupation”.

Rachel’s original writings were edited by British actor Alan Rickman and Guardian editor Katharine Viner. The resulting theatre play was first presented in April 2005 at the Royal Court Theatre

London to critical acclaim and has since been performed all over the world.

The Guardian said of the adaptation: “Theatre can’t change the world. But what it can do, when it’s as good as this, is to send us out enriched by other people’s passionate concern.”

The play, in the form of a monologue, will be performed in the intimacy of the Stalls studio by Mairi Philips, the theatre’s current actor intern. Her roles to date include Bianca in Othello and Vanity in Cinderella.

The production is directed by Ros Philips who makes her debut as incumbent trainee director at the theatre. She says of the show, “Rachel wrote vociferously and like all writers had a hunger for the truth that led her to her political convictions. I believe the notion of idealism is an uncomfortable one for an audience, and the challenge of this show is, not just bringing Rachel’s words to life, but to examine how idealism contributes to politics and society today.

“The play is an important documentation of a moment in the history of a conflict that continues to defy any kind of peace agreement seven years later.”