Voice of America News:

A documentary play that’s met with both praise and controversy is heading to Seattle, Washington, following a two-month run in New York City and original productions in London. My Name is Rachel Corrie tells the story of a young American human rights activist who traveled to the Israeli-occupied Gaza Strip in 2003, and died there. The play has also revived questions, still not answered, about the death of Rachel Corrie.

The play was censored in March by the New York Theater Workshop in New York. The theater was widely reviled for censoring the play due to pressure brought by leaders in the Jewish community. It was then produced in October by the Minetta Lane Theater and ran successfully until Dec. 17.

It has been cancelled again. This time by the CanStage theater in Toronto. See report here on AH

The reason for the ease with which pressure can be mounted to cancel this production is the same reason that the play is considered “controversial” at all. There is an enormous amount of misinformation that is easily spread about Rachel, the International Solidarity Movement, and about Palestinians in general.

For help sorting out some of that misinformation, see the myths and facts sheet created by Rachel’s Words and distributed outside the theater in NY as a counter to the protesters that are included in the video by VOA.

Rachel Corrie play: censored in Toronto by artistic producer Martin Bragg of the CanStage theater.

Reporting for Variety on Dec. 22nd RICHARD OUZOUNIAN wrote:

“It didn’t seem as powerful on the stage as it did on the page,” said artistic producer Martin Bragg after seeing the production at Gotham’s Minetta Lane Theater.

But in a situation eerily similar to the one that faced Nicola, it appears that pressure has been brought upon Bragg from some of his board members not to alienate the Toronto Jewish community.

Jack Rose, from the CanStage board — while admitting he has neither read nor seen the script — said that “my view was it would provoke a negative reaction in the Jewish community.”

Democracy Now has the story

For more information on the play and Rachel Corrie see:
Rachelswords.org and
The Rachel Corrie Foundation