Cleveland Public Theatre’s Big [Box] series winds down its season this weekend with its most controversial offering, My Name Is Rachel Corrie. A recent New York City production of the one-woman play — based on the real-life e-mails and diary entries of a 23-year-old American who was killed by an Israeli bulldozer while working in the Gaza Strip — was even canceled at the last minute. Still, director Trad Burns insists that “it’s really not a political play. It’s one woman’s voice. It’s about her time there and what was going on around her.”
Burns, a scenic and lighting designer, makes his directorial debut with the show (“We’re all closet directors,” he says). Rachel Corrie stars Elizabeth Wood; the actress reads and recites the idealistic writings of Corrie, who was helping Palestinians save their houses from destruction by the Israeli army when she died. “At 23, we all have a different idea about what we can do to save the world,” says Burns. “This is her voice, this is her story. It really digs into who this woman is.”
Feb. 16-17, 7 p.m.
This article appears in Feb 14-20, 2007.