Rachel Corrie Has Her Say as New York Premiere of Controversial Play Opens Oct. 15

By Robert Simonson
October 15, 2006

Megan Dodds reprises her role in the American premiere of the acclaimed — and controversial — historical solo play My Name Is Rachel Corrie, which opens Oct. 15, after previews from Oct. 5 at Off-Broadway's Minetta Lane Theatre.

Dodds played Rachel Corrie in the April 2005 Royal Court Theatre production, and reprised the role both at The Royal Court and at The Playhouse Theatre in London's West End in spring 2006.

The limited engagement will play 48 performances through Nov. 19.

The play, which is taken from the writings of the late American activist Rachel Corrie, is directed by actor Alan Rickman, who, with journalist Katharine Viner, edited Corrie's writings into this work for the stage.

The play became the subject of a heated debate this past spring when it was scheduled and then postponed at Off-Broadway's New York Theatre Workshop. Both NYTW and the Royal Court were thrust into a press-statement war immediately after the decision to delay the work; the London-based company and the play's creators accused the New York company of censorship while the New York troupe stated it merely sought to present the play in a climate suitable for the volatile work.

My Name Is Rachel Corrie, according to press notes, "chronicles the human, social and political evolution in the life and controversial death of a young woman. The play traces the life of Rachel from her early days in Washington State through her experiences as an activist seeking to learn more about the community within Gaza." Corrie was a 23-year-old protester who was killed by an Israeli bulldozer.