History That’s Not Facts

My Name is Rachel Corrie – Jacaranda Collective

Jacaranda Collective, a multi-media production company, premiered its first production, My Name is Rachel Corrie, at The Den Theatre on March 22nd. It was a one-woman show performed by Associate Artistic Director, Halie Robinson, and directed by Artistic Director, Sam Bianchini. Let’s take a moment to appreciate that a woman’s tale was being told by a woman with direction by women.

On a textual level, this was an adaptation of Rachel Corrie’s journals, letters, and emails by Alan Rickman and Catherine Viner. On a biographical level, the show was about Rachel Corrie, a young writer who was inspired by nonviolent activism and human rights to travel to the Gaza Strip. While there, she was crushed to death by a bulldozer while peacefully protesting the demolition of a Palestinian home. In a single, excruciating instance, a life was taken away and a story and a name (Rachel Corrie) were thrust onto the global scene to be used and abused, debated and martyred in political debates. On a moral level, the show was about how a story can be twisted to serve any one personal agenda, and seeks to shed a vulnerable light on the young woman from Olympia, Washington, who had a big, passionate heart and a fondness for Pat Benatar, Salvador Dali, and cigarettes.

What a beautiful thing to see a woman untouched, not nipped and tucked, onstage for over an hour. Rachel Corrie wasn’t without her flaws. She called a certain article of clothing “slutty” and had difficulties with her parents, but she was a young woman. Just as a Byronic hero is supposedly made swoon-worthy by his brooding temper, a heroine is made heart-achingly incredible by the lessons that she learns in front of our eyes. Over the course of the evening, we watched a woman grow from scheming about strutting her carefree life in front of an ex-paramour to talking about the definition of peace in the face of horrendous violence.

The set, provided by Emily Smith, utilized a set of stairs that Robinson walked, strutted, hopped, jumped, tripped, layed, and collapsed upon. With the set, props, and costumes providing a base of mainly tattered greys, beiges, and blacks, the lighting design (Madeline Pell) had the opportunity to wash Robinson in sweltering reds and ethereal blues as she slipped back and forth through her recollections. Sounds consisted of well-known American songs from the late 90’s and early 2000’s and served to bring levity to the piece, as well as some cultural instrumental pieces that served to awaken a sense of awe in Rachel.

Halie Robinson as Rachel Corrie took a piece of narrative text and made it active. All of the stories felt akin to conversations, as if we were all in a coffee shop, and once she was done, one of us would stand up and relay a similar experience. In such a small and intimate setting, actors can fall into two traps 1) being too afraid to engage with the audience and 2) being too needy for validation from the audience. Robinson artfully evaded both of these traps. She simply was; she didn’t perform but existed. She let us into the story and the world of Rachel Corrie by opening a door and letting us walk through it without leading us by the nose.

Bianchini (aided by stage manager Jenn Thompson) superbly directed Robinson up and down the stairs as Rachel paced and pieced through instances in her life. Bianchini helped Robinson craft the arc of a child turning into a brave woman for our viewing, who was then stained and re-sewn to fit people’s political agendas in the news. Once in Israel, Rachel didn’t cease to be vulnerable. She had doubts about her own beliefs and upbringing and was terrified of the danger she and others faced. To show us a woman with bravery in the face of her own fears is more inspiring than a plastic-power woman who fears nothing and inspires us to accomplish similar feats as Rachel. Feats that included expanding her own horizons when she realized that while she had expected and received the notion of safety, children elsewhere in the world only dreamt of that concept. The entire production with seamless lights, rough-and-tumbled stage, poignant acting, and insightful direction proves that nothing more than the unadulterated truth is needed to be impactful.

My Name is Rachel Corrie runs Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from March 22nd through April 6th with one performance on Monday, March the 25th. All shows are at 7:30 pm. General Admission Tickets are $25, and student/senior tickets are $15. All tickets are available at the door or on The Den Theatre’s website.

Highly Recommended

Reviewed by Sophie Vitello

Additional information about this and other area productions can be found by visiting www.theatreinchicago.com.