January 19 to February 11, 2017
Harlequin Productions, 202 4th Avenue East in downtown Olympia, is our premier local theater company. We are delighted that they have chosen to bring the first local production of My Name is Rachel Corrie to our community! The Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice was selected for Harlequin’s Community Partnership Program 2017. We are excited to connect with local schools, educators, and student groups to extend an offer of free tickets for the final dress rehearsal performance of the play My Name is Rachel Corrie on Wednesday, January 18, 2017 (8 pm).
Rachel Corrie, a graduate of Capital High School and student at The Evergreen State College, was a 23-year-old American peace activist from Olympia, Washington, who was crushed to death by an Israeli-militarized bulldozer on 16 March 2003, while undertaking nonviolent direct action to protect the home of a Palestinian family from demolition. Since her killing, an enormous number of solidarity activities have been carried out in her name around the world.
The play My Name is Rachel Corrie is told almost exclusively through the words from Rachel’s actual journals and writing from the Gaza Strip. It affords students a unique opportunity to explore the impact that autobiographical writing and journaling can have, through the perspective of a local person whose actions and writings made headlines around the world.
Our hope is that by offering free tickets to student audiences, we can promote and encourage local performing arts and arts education, and provide an opportunity to spur further discussion of Rachel’s story, social justice themes, and connect with youth. Read more about the play on our website.
My Name is Rachel Corrie was crafted from Rachel’s writing by actor Alan Rickman and Guardian editor Kathryn Viner. It was first performed at the Royal Court Theatre in London in 2005, has subsequently been translated into many languages, and continues to be performed throughout the United States and around the world.
Harlequin Productions will be running the show from January 19th to February 11th at their theater in Olympia. For tickets, visit Harlequin Productions. Also, see The Olympian’s coverage: “The show is based on Corrie’s diaries and emails she wrote while in Palestine, where she worked to create a sister-city relationship between Olympia and Rafah and to support Palestinians whose homes were being demolished.”
* Harlequin Productions is solely responsible for this production of My Name is Rachel Corrie. All proceeds go directly to the theater.
How to request tickets for Wednesday, January 18 (8 pm), 2017 final dress rehearsal:
Due to the expected high demand for these tickets, we request that interested parties submit a brief, emailed request with (1) your name, school, contact information, and class/academic program/student group represented, (2) the number of tickets desired, and (3) a description of how the play will complement current or planned educational curriculum, and/or student group activities. RCF is committed to serving as a current and continuing resource for facilitating classroom experiences related to My Name is Rachel Corrie, and providing related curriculum relevant to educators and student groups. Please indicate in your request if this is an option in which you are interested.
Please submit requests as soon as possible, and no later than Wednesday, January 11, 2017, to [email protected] with “My Name is Rachel Corrie Request” in the subject line. If you have questions, feel free to contact RCF via email or phone at (360-754-3998).
Because these tickets are limited and we want to fill the house for Harlequin January 18th, priority will be given to requests that indicate intention of integrating the play into class curriculum or organization activities, and to those that indicate ability to facilitate student attendance at the performance.
We look forward to hearing from you and seeing you at the theater!
