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• Station Theatre presents Corrie’s controversial story this fall

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Address: 223 N. Broadway Ave. Urbana, IL 61801
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Rachel Corrie died when she was 23. She was volunteering in the Gaza Strip when she was run over by an armored bulldozer while trying to protect a home from being destroyed. She has been hailed as a martyr and similarly denounced as a naïve, privileged American girl. There are many dynamics to Rachel Corrie’s story, many unknowns and a lot of controversy.

From Oct. 8 to Oct. 24, the Station Theatre will be running “My Name is Rachel Corrie,” a one-woman show starring Lindsey Markel, depicting the writings of Rachel Corrie.

Markel and the Station Theater’s goal is not to try and pick a side in any of these issues, but instead, to inform and present Corrie’s story.

“What we want to do is explore how theater can be used as a social form of media to generate discussion and ideas,” Markel said.

The Israel/Palestine conflict is a major one, and one that is not frequently talked about despite global involvement. “I consider myself socially conscious, and I didn’t know anything about it, not at the forefront of American consciousness even though our country’s involved. We want people to know about it,” Markel said.

Corrie’s story is a captivating one, and also beautifully written. “I love the language. She was a great writer. Everything is taken from her journals. It’s all words she wrote. Emails to and from her parents, all stages of her life. The whole time she has a strong sense of energy and empathy for other people” said Markel.

Ticket prices for the show range from $8-$15 depending on the night, and all shows start at 8 p.m. It is a show with many facets, telling the story of one girl who desperately wanted to change the world and didn’t know how. “It has inspired me,” Markel said. “Makes me think in more community-minded terms. She was locally-minded wherever she went.”