Peace activist lives on in play

The internationally acclaimed one-woman play "My Name is Rachel Corrie" continues at the Main Street Cabaret Theatre through March 29.

The production is presented by the Buffalo United Artists Theatre in association with the Subversive Theatre.

"My Name is Rachel Corrie," by Alan Rickman and Katharine Viner, features Katie White in the title role under the direction of Timothy Klein. Lighting design is by Kurt Schneiderman.

"My Name is Rachel Corrie" is a one-act play compiled entirely from the e-mails and journal entries of Rachel Corrie, a 23-year-old peace activist from Olympia, Washington. Corrie died on March 16, 2003, after being run over by an Israeli bulldozer while standing in defense of Palestinian houses in the City of Rafah in the Gaza Strip.

"My Name Is Rachel Corrie" made its world debut at London's Royal Court Theatre in April of 2005 and was named "Best New Play" at the Theatregoers' Choice Awards in London in 2006.

The play was at the center of intense controversy in 2006 when its New York City debut was canceled by the New York Theatre Workshop due to objections raised by the theater's largely Jewish subscr iber-base.

Subsequent productions in Toronto and Miami have also been canceled amidst protest of the play's unabashedly pro-Palestinian content. "This is censorship born out of fear - all of us are losers," said co-author Rickman.

"Rachel Corrie lived in nobody's pocket but her own. Whether one is sympathetic with her or not, her voice is like a clarion in the fog and should be heard," said Rickman.

Performances continue at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays through Saturday, March 29 at Buffalo's Main Street Cabaret at 672 Main St. Tickets are $22 general admission and $15 for students, and are available by calling the Buffalo United Artists Theatre box office at 886-9239. For more information, visit www.subversivetheatre.org.