My Name Is Rachel Corrie

In March 2003, young American activist Rachel Corrie lost her life when she placed herself between an Israeli army bulldozer and a Palestinian home.

Composed from her own diaries and e-mails by Alan Rickman and Katharine Viner, this eloquent, moving and deeply personal play follows Rachel Corrie’s journey.

A collision of idealism, anger and wit, Rachel’s words are as relevant now as they have ever been.

For this major new production,
Rachel Corrie will be played by Cassie Bradley (King Lear & Home, I’m Darling, National Theatre; Waterloo Road; Practical Magic 2).

Reviving My Name Is Rachel Corrie over 20 years since she was killed in Gaza should be a celebration of an iconic figure in the peace process - an international civilian who went at huge personal risk to the site of a military conflict to campaign against and seek to prevent the death of civilians. However, with atrocities in Gaza continuing unabated and Palestinians displaced and killed on a daily basis, Corrie’s voice remains part of the appeal for this to end. 

“I'm really scared, and questioning my fundamental belief in the goodness of human nature” she wrote in a letter home. “This has to stop. I think it is a good idea for us all to drop everything and devote our lives to making this stop.”

My Name Is Rachel Corrie, a collection of Rachel’s letters, diaries, lists, emails and doodles, isn’t anti-Semitic, it’s not pro-Muslim, it’s not anti-Israel, it’s pro-peace - and that distinction is crucial to any debate about the ongoing horrors being wreaked on the Palestinian people.

“The scariest thing for non-Jewish Americans in talking about Palestinian self-determination is the fear of being or sounding anti-Semitic” she said. “The people of Israel are suffering and Jewish people have a long history of oppression. We still have some responsibility for that, but I think it's important to draw a firm distinction between the policies of Israel as a state, and Jewish people. That's kind of a no-brainer.”

Rachel campaigned against, and ultimately lost her life as a result of, Israeli policy and Israeli military action. We are proud that her voice and her words can once again be heard through this play and that she can be given another chance to speak out against these horrors. As she said, this has to stop.