Stage play on Gaza activist Rachel Corrie

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Contact: Matt Quinn, 816-729-9102 

Controversial stage play on Gaza activist Rachel Corrie starts four-week run at Unicorn Theatre’s Jerome Stage on March 19 

March 9, 2009 – "I had the privilege of working with Rachel Corrie. Little did I know that I would witness her murder," said Joe Carr one year after her death in 2003. “My Name is Rachel Corrie,” a play compiled from Rachel Corrie's journals and e-mails during her work in Gaza, will be performed at the Unicorn Theatre's Jerome Stage, 3828 Main Street, Kansas City, Missouri, starting Thursday, March 19. Rachel, a 23-year old American, was killed in 2003 by a bulldozer operated by the Israel military during a protest against the destruction of Palestinian homes in the Gaza Strip.   

The play won acclaim for its successful London run and has since been performed amidst controversy. The first New York production in 2006 was halted, then finally performed in a different theater. The play has been produced many times since then. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette interviewed art director Sean O’Donnell before a February 2009 performance at New Olde Bank Theatre near Pittsburgh. O'Donnell said the controversy didn’t play into his theatre’s decision process, it was the play’s content that he considered: “The play gave me a reference point and afforded me a different perspective on the situation. Rachel talks about the Palestinian people who gave her shelter and became her friends. She gives them an identity that can’t be found in a 30-second news report. And in giving them an identity, we are forced to identify with them.” 

The play runs over four weekends - March 19-22, March 26-29, April 2-5, and April 9-12. There will be two “Talk Back” sessions after the Sunday, March 22 and Thursday, March 26 performances when the director and cast answer questions from audience members. Starting time for all Thursday through Saturday performances is 8:00 p.m. while Sunday performances start at 3:30 p.m. Admission is $21. Groups of 10 or more people can purchase tickets at $16.00, a $5.00 discount.  To order tickets call the Box Office at 816-531-PLAY ext. 10, or click on the "Events" link on the Unicorn Theatre web site (http://www.unicorntheatre.org). 

"My Name is Rachel Corrie" is one of the most important art events to appear recently in Kansas City that focuses on Mideast issues or culture. This play is squarely focused on events in Gaza, while allowing audience members to hear Rachel's voice and words -- someone dedicated to discovering and sharing the Palestinian condition. Rachel's work and vision, like the Palestinian struggle for justice, is one of resistance and hope. 

Citizens for Justice in the Middle East, a Kansas City peace group, will participate in the “Talk Back” session on Sunday, March 22. The group recently organized a benefit for humanitarian relief for Palestinians in Gaza that raised $4200. 

Citizens for Justice in the Middle East maintains a special connection to Rachel because of Joe Carr, a Kansas Citian, who worked next to Rachel in Rafah, Gaza and witnessed her death on March 16, 2003. Joe's deeply sincere and poignant portrayal of Rachel moved many who heard him speak. Rachel’s parents, Cindy and Craig Corrie, visited the Kansas City area when they participated in a two-day Sabeel Conference in October 2006 held at Village Presbyterian Church in Prairie Village, Kansas. 

For more information, see Martin Tanner Productions web site - http://www.martintanner.com , or visit the CJME web site at http://www.cjme.org

About Citizens for Justice in the Middle East – http://www.cjme.org

Since 2003, Kansas City-based Citizens for Justice in the Middle East has educated the American public about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The group believes U.S. policy should recognize the rights and aspirations of both Israelis and Palestinians; only by respecting the need to provide both peoples in the conflict with security and self-determination can a viable and just peace be assured.

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