The Second Death of Rachel Corrie

[Briar]

The Second Death of Rachel Corrie
Censorship of the Worst Kind
By VANESSA REDGRAVE


I am urging the Royal Court Theatre to sue the New York Theatre 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 Theatre 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 Theatre 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 theatre know however what cancelling a production means, whatever words are used. Megan Dodds, and a crew lose their jobs. The Royal Court Theatre lose a production that was a few weeks from opening in New York City...

http://www.counterpunch.org/redgrave03062006.html

[tatertop]

1. She is a fallen hero.

[rodeodance]

2. so so many

[Dhalgren]

3. Alan Rickman has always been one of my favorite actors.

Now my respect for him is even greater. That Rachel's story is so frightening to certain people and groups is a pointless shame. She is a hero - one of the great ones of our time. Why is she so feared?

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

4. This might be a dumb...

...question, but from where would The New York Theatre Workshop be getting pressure to cancel this production? I can't imagine that it wouldn't have done well.

[Sequoia]

5. Not a dumb question, I wonder too.

Maybe it has to do something with support for Israel. I can't understand, after WWII why Isreal is now such a terrorist country and are being hateful.

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

6. The ironic part of such...

...an oppressive measure, if there has been one in this case, is that the publicity drawn from the cancellation can make people who might not have been particularly interested in Rachel's story, suddenly determined, not only to see it themselves, but to help see that it gets great exposure. I believe this could, and hope that it does, happen for this production. It IS an important story.