Culture

Rachel Corrie's parents say play 'humanizes' activist daughter

by Jarrett Martineau | December 10, 2007 at 01:55 pm

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"My Name is Rachel Corrie" continues to create controversy where it's performed. Notable actor Alan Rickman and journalist Katharine Viner created the play with the full support of Rachel Corrie's parents -- who have attended each new production -- and are often present to respond to challenging questions posed by the play's highly charged, political subject matter. The current Canadian production is being staged in Montreal and will be re-staged in Vancouver in January 2008.

My Name is Rachel Corrie, a play about the American activist killed by an Israeli army bulldozer in the Gaza Strip, has just opened in Montreal with Corrie's parents in attendance.

The controversial play explores Corrie's experiences in Gaza and has been lambasted by some as a naïve, one-sided account of the Israeli-Palestinian divide.

Craig and Cindy Corrie say people who've never seen the play tend to be critical.

"You'll hear beforehand that it's anti-Israel or anti-Semitic. I think that's absolutely false," said Craig Corrie in an interview with CBC Radio's Q. "It is a valid viewpoint of what Rachel saw and I think it's artfully put together."