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October 17, 2006
"My Name is Rachel Corrie": All the Rachels
The original US producer of the new off-Broadway run of the London hit "My Name is Rachel Corrie" wanted to "contextualize" the play by providing for structured discussion, but the UK producers refused and the production languished until taken up by another US production team, which is making a show of prividing context by holding audience talk-backs and providing a "study guide."
The talkback schedule shows a list of panelists who are all favorable to Corrie's point of view. (If you are able to attend any of these, email me a report, I would like to know if anyone challenged them.)
The study guide, aimed at high-school or middle-schoolers, contains absolutely no information that contradicts the Corrie's mythos. For example, co-editor Vine says she surveyed a lot of material about Corrie's death, by the IDF and settlers as well as by Palestinians and Corrie's colleagues, and in the end decided just to use her colleague Tom Dale's eyewitness account of her death (which is disputed). The only quotes in the guide are from Corrie and the Palestinian family whose home she was "protecting." After each section are treacly writing exercises, like "Is there a moment in your life when you had to make a difficult choice about something you believe in?" and "Write as much as you can in ten minutes, without taking your pen off the paper, about something which makes you really angry, really happy, or really sad."
If you did not know that Corrie protected smuggling tunnels, or that her organization the ISM has openly praised and abetted suicide bombers, or that suicide bombers existed, or that the bulldozer driver couldn't see her from where he was sitting, you would never find it out from this study guide.
But a group has taken the initiative to "contextualize" the play for theater-goers, before they enter the theater. They are passing out this tasteful yet devastating flyer:
I got a report on how leafletting went on opening night, and I am awaiting permission to post it. Summary: lots of polite respect from leafletters to theater-goers and vice versa, lots of people took the flyers, reporters asked questions, most hostility was from friends of the producers and actors. (Note to Islamists: this approach wins you more friends than threatening fatwas and burning down embassies. Try it sometime.)
Judith | 10/17/06 at 10:28 PM | Categories: - Useful idiots
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Blogs which link to "My Name is Rachel Corrie": All the Rachels:
» The controversy behind "My Name is Rachel Corrie" from Kesher Talk
We wrote about the attempt this spring to bring this polemical monologue to New York, from its wildly popular run in London. The American producer got cold feet, the British producers claimed that the arts community version of the Israel... [Read More]
Tracked on October 17, 2006 11:38 PM
» "My Name is Rachel Corrie": handing out flyers outside the theater from Kesher Talk
[ Welcome LGF readers. If you want to see some serious propaganda by the producers of this play, go here. Below is the report about handing out flyers on opening night of "My Name is Rachel Corrie" in NYC. (More... [Read More]
Tracked on October 19, 2006 12:00 AM
» "My Name is Rachel Corrie": a few more facts from Kesher Talk
Previous posts about the play "My Name is Rachel Corrie", just opened in NYC, here, here, and here. Excellent roundup about the play at Jewlicious, and the comment thread is entertaining and highly recommended - sample (after a blatantly antisemitic... [Read More]
Tracked on October 19, 2006 01:54 AM
Comments
I like the flyer and the message that it presents !
Paul | October 17, 2006 10:44 PM
Peacefully handing out leaflets outside a left-wing theater production is stifling dissent, you know. You guys should engage in reasonable discourse, like running into the theater, shouting down the actors and taking over the stage.
Damian P. | October 19, 2006 10:14 AM
I seen the original production of this play in London last year. I am glad to hear there is a respectful but firm protest being conducted.
I think the flyer puts the propaganda on the stage in proper perspective and puts to rest the lie of censorship in New York as charged by many in the London theater community.
This decent and appropriate protest stands in stark contrast to the left-wing Columbia University riot and the Islamofascist violence of the Danish cartoon controversey which took place earlier this year.
This is poetic proof that some of us are indeed on the right side of this struggle between liberty and tyranny.
Rob | October 21, 2006 06:12 PM
If Israeli's actually followed their religion I would say that God is going to have a great punishment for them for what they do, however, since you guys lost your religion a long time ago and God had you kicked out of the holy land, I have to come from another angle. Israeli's are no better than the holocaust perpetrator's and will be judge fairly on the day of Judgement!
Sarah | November 2, 2006 10:17 PM
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