MuCCC hosted an important work of art
the past two nights. The one-woman show, “My Name is Rachel Corrie,” chronicles the life of a young American Peace Activist who traveled to Gaza in
2003 with the International Solidarity Movement to defend Palestinian homes
from being demolished. Corrie was killed by an
Israeli bulldozer while protecting a host family’s house from being destroyed.
This work is “fringe” in the saddest sense of the word, as it
presents an underrepresented reality that Americans are still, by and large, discouraged
from exploring.
From young actor Ashley Malloy’s crushing performance, we learn
that Corrie was aware of the media’s
misrepresentation of efforts such as hers. She was sensitive to the historic suffering
of Jewish people, but saw the necessity for criticism of Israeli state policy,
for supporting Palestinian self-determination, and for protesting atrocity.
As a representation of the writings of an awake and
heartbroken defender of innocents, this play is politically charged, but the
play itself isn’t political art. It’s a coming-of-age story, shortened by blind
brutality. It’s the story of a girl who sought to be a poet, who instead stumbled
upon defending a population of humans forsaken by the powerful and
unacknowledged by the privileged.
Malloy’s portrayal of each and every stage of Corries’s development is immaculate. Within the space of about
90 minutes, she smoothly moves the character from a franticly earnest youth to
an extremely bewildered but present and determined and articulate young adult.
Corrie repeatedly reiterates in her
journals and emails to her parents how nothing could have prepared her for the
dehumanizing reality lived by those she defended. Malloy’s pantomiming and
vocal escalations enveloped the audience in a vivid world of violently-enforced
curfews, infrastructure- and livelihood-destroying checkpoints, a growing
abundance of sniper towers, the perpetual buzz of Apache helicopters, destroyed
wells and greenhouses, and the daily threat to houses by bulldozer or
tank-mounted missiles.
These conditions amount to unadulterated terrorism, and these
journals could have been written yesterday.
Malloy crushingly conveys every moment of Corrie’s
clarity, and her empathy and respect for her Palestinian hosts and for her
parents as they try to understand her mission through their lens of devastated
concern. To the end, Corrie’s frustration and despair
at the enormity of the situation — as well as her fierce resolve — is palpable
through Malloy’s wide and disillusioned eyes.
This article appears in Sep 17-23, 2014.
What a stirring performance, about hope and action in the face of conditions which the reviewer so aptly describes – “v iolently-enforced curfews, infrastructure- and livelihood-destroying checkpoints, a growing abundance of sniper towers, the perpetual buzz of Apache helicopters, destroyed wells and greenhouses, and the daily threat to houses by bulldozer or tank-mounted missiles” – as unadulterated terrorism. Terrorism done TO the Palestinians.
The play is not political art because it is not a made-up story; it is biographical non-fiction. But in the history of theatre, there is long tradition of performances of fiction written to address issues of current events that are central to society itself, encouraging consciousness and social change. “My Name is Rachel Corrie” is rather an expose’ of suppressed information, that has escaped from the corral, by virtue of its literary merit. A very fortunate diary, written with no idea of its future importance. Ron Johnson
Well said, Ron!
Thank you, Rebecca, and City Newspaper, for this stunning review of this play. I had the privilege of meeting Rachel’s parents, who have taken up the mantel of holding Israel accountable for its actions, whether it is through the Israeli courts or through the kind of non-violent action such as BDS. Their own expression of “steadfastness” is an inspiration to all who work for justice and peace in the Middle East.