All They Are Saying Is Give Peace a Chance

Their Voices Will Be Heard:

My Name is Rachel Corrie

Taken from the writings of Rachel Corrie

Edited by Alan Rickman and Katharine Viner

Directed by David R. Gammons

Stacy Fischer as Rachel Corrie

Pieces by Zohar Tirosh

Directed by Suzana Berger

Zohar Tirosh as Herself

David R. Gammons, Scenic Design; Tristan Scott Barton Raines, Costume Design; Jamie Whoolery, Lighting and Projection Design/Assistant Production Manager; Scott Nason, Sound Design/Production Manager; Rick Lombardo, Sound Design; Jennifer Braun, Production Stage Manager; Andrea T. Healy, Rehearsal Stage Manager

Performances in rotating repertory through March 30, 2008 at New Repertory Theatre Downstage www.newrep.org or Box Office 617-923-8487

If King Solomon were alive and the present day ruler of Israel, would he have the wisdom to deal with the Israeli-Palestinian situation; to find a fair, equitable, and sustainable solution to the violent, political morass? Two peoples, two diametrically-opposed views of the state of affairs have resulted in decades of death and destruction and attempt after failed attempt to create lasting peace in the region. Is there any hope?

With a belief in the premise of the transformative power of art, the New Repertory Theatre offers a testing ground with its production in rotating repertory of Pieces and My Name Is Rachel Corrie, the individual stories of two young women whose passion, courage, and commitment to a cause inspire confidence that there will always be idealists who give us reason to hope. Understanding that this subject matter is potentially controversial, New Rep has scheduled a series of companion events to broaden the discussion and invite participation from diverse voices. "Artist Responses to the Israeli/Palestinian Situation" includes staged readings, film screenings, and panel discussions throughout the month.

Both plays had their press openings on Sunday, March 9, Downstage in the Black Box Theatre. Each performance was followed by a post-show talkback with the actresses, directors, Artistic Director Rick Lombardo, and, in the case of Rachel Corrie, her parents Craig and Cindy Corrie. While there are some common threads that tie the two stories together and make the juxtaposition apt, they must be considered separately to fully appreciate their import and exceptional qualities.

Zohar Tirosh was 23 years old when she wrote Pieces to document her two-year stint in the Israeli army (IDF). In 1994, she was living in New York City, studying acting, and in love with an American when she had to return to Israel for her military obligation. Her narrative takes us through her basic training and adjustment to mundane army life, her awakening to the very real horrors of terrorist violence, and her burgeoning nationalism. As the playwright, Tirosh draws us in with her skillful writing, but it is Tirosh the actress who makes the human connection with the audience as she re-engages with her younger self on the stage. Her transformation from carefree, peace-loving adolescent to trained, dedicated soldier is reflected in her eyes when she stands up to pledge allegiance to the State of Israel and the IDF, a bible in one hand, an M-16 in the other. What may initially be the result of recruit brainwashing subtly seeps into Zohar's persona until she is intrinsically changed by her experiences while sharing responsibility for safeguarding the state. It is powerful to observe this conversion and it is made more potent knowing that this actress lived it herself.

To her credit, Tirosh shows her character's humanity and individuality even as she dons the drab, green IDF uniform and has it drilled into her that she must follow orders all the time. She conveys a range of emotions as herself and also plays several of her army colleagues for brief scenes to open up the action and add a little humor. When she becomes a counselor and trainer for immigrant cadets, she is part social worker, part commander. She makes friends, loses and finds love, and grows emotionally and intellectually on a path that parallels the ups and downs of her country. This is as much a coming of age story about Israel as it is for Zohar Tirosh, as both get in touch with a developing cynicism and rage as more violence erupts and peace prospects recede.

The Pieces set is a simple one with a white back wall, sand colored carpet, a couple of small piles of rocks, and two dark benches which serve as cots and storage for props. At the opening and close of the play, there are four small stones on one of the benches, symbolic of the Jewish tradition of leaving pebbles on a grave marker to signify that someone has visited. Tirosh picks them up, taps them together, and recites four Hebrew words: Ani. Ata. Hem. Anachnu. (I, You, They, We) It is about picking up the pieces, remembering and honoring the dead, trying to go back to the basics, looking for what was lost, "trying to peace it together."

My Name Is Rachel Corrie plays out on the other side of the barbed wire fence on the Gaza Strip. As an activist in the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), Rachel worked to support Palestinian nonviolent resistance to Israel's military occupation. In 2003, at the age of 23, she was killed while attempting to stop an Israeli bulldozer from demolishing a civilian home. Rachel's own words from her journals and emails are given three-dimensional life in an outstanding, deeply felt performance by Stacy Fischer. We know the outcome from the outset, but her energy and starry-eyed belief in her cause make us think…just maybe, she'll turn things around in the end.

Rachel is introduced as a sloppy, disorderly girl in her bedroom in Olympia, Washington, where clothes and books are scattered everywhere. As she recites passages from her diary, it becomes increasingly evident that she has a brain, creative abilities, and a good heart. It is this person who sets out on a journey of self-discovery with a mission to make a dangerous part of the world a better place, to do something with meaning. I think she realizes pretty quickly that she may have bitten off more than she can chew and that the situation is far worse and more complex than she could have imagined.

In addition to her idealism, Rachel has the sureness of youth. However, not long after her arrival in Israel, she writes, "The scariest thing for non-Jewish Americans in talking about Palestinian self-determination is the fear of being or sounding anti-Semitic. The people of Israel are suffering and Jewish people have a long history of oppression. We still have some responsibility for that, but I think it's important to draw a firm distinction between the policies of Israel as a state, and Jewish people…I'm really new to talking about Israel-Palestine, so I don't always know the political implications of my words." This quote encapsulates the controversy inherent in My Name Is Rachel Corrie as people who support Israel argue that Corrie has been canonized while no one talks of the Jewish girls who were killed by Arab terrorists during the second Intifada. It is not my purpose as reviewer to delve deeply into the political opinions on either side of this dispute, but the politics clearly add significantly to the dramatic effect of the two works.

The labors of the two directors, Suzana Berger and David R. Gammons, also add a significant wallop. Both stories start off with a lightness of being and build to a crescendo as the reality of their individual situations becomes evident. These adolescents evolve into women and are artistically guided through their growth by these fine directorial efforts. Texture is added by lighting changes, snippets of music, and sounds of airplanes, oceans, sirens, and weapons firing. The artistic team conspires to pull us into the dangerous world that Zohar and Rachel inhabit. At times, it feels all too realistic.

At the end of the day, I felt enervated from the intensity of experiencing the plays back to back and, on some level, profoundly saddened by the loss of innocence and loss of life. However, I was also profoundly moved by the strength of character displayed by the two protagonists, the power of their writing, their quest for peace, and the inspired, transforming performances of Zohar Tirosh and Stacy Fischer. They held nothing back and the audience was richer for it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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