The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has an interview with The New Olde Bank Theatre Art Director Sean O’Donnell on the staging of My Name is Rachel Corrie. Controversy seems to follow this play based on one woman’s emails. O’Donnell said that 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.”
“What I appreciate most about “My Name is Rachel Corrie” (and all theater, really) is the ability it has to educate and change people’s perceptions. I think most people don’t really understand the dynamics of this conflict — and by no means does this play explain it all — but “Rachel Corrie” does offer its audience a first-hand point of view, a different and accessible point of view, of what is going on in Palestine.
I hope audience members will come with an open mind — regardless of their preconceived beliefs — and listen. Beyond the politics of the play is a human story.”
— The New Olde Bank Theatre Art Director Sean O’Donnell
