"My Name is Rachel Corrie" is a one-woman show starring Lindsey Markel at downtown Urbana’s Station Theater. The play tells the story of Rachel Corrie, who died at age 23 in Gaza trying to help homes from being bulldozed. All of the dialogue in the show comes entirely from Corrie’s emails, letters and journals. All of it is a compilation of her words, making it an even more powerful experience.

The costumes are simple. The casting is simple. The set is simple. Corrie was not a girl for many things or fancy settings, and this was accommodated in the show. Lighting played an important part in the play, and created moods and gave a sense of time to the play. Because of the one-person cast, light had an important role in chronology and setting.

Even without an extravagant stage, Corrie’s writing and story telling are what make the play compelling and are the main focus throughout. Markel holds everyone’s attention for ninety minutes, never relying on big action scenes — although the play is not without action — or help from other cast members. There is a genuine sense of personality, and when in the middle of the play there is a real video of Rachel Corrie speaking about her experience in Palestine, it’s jarring. It is forgotten entirely that these are not Markel’s words, her telling us about her life and thoughts. These words are what make the experience of seeing this play so worthwhile. It is powerful and important.

There were protestors outside the Station Theater handing out fliers saying Rachel Corrie’s death was an accident, but there were other deaths that Corrie was interfering with. This is a controversial play that deals with very weighted issues, but during the play, all of that is left behind. It becomes one girl’s story, one girl’s thoughts on the entire world that make the audience question their own values. The Israel/Palestine conflict is left behind for greater issues that are more human and less political.

"My Name is Rachel Corrie," despite the impact and heavy-hitting issues, is still a funny play. Corrie has hilarious insights on this world and ways of dealing with her own world, not just the one she wants to save. It is charming and beautiful, presenting a very dynamic character.