Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Preview: My Name is Rachel Corrie



On the heels of the dismissal of the Corrie family's civil lawsuit, Hart House Theatre will be presenting the controversial play that explores an extraordinary young woman's singular experience in a region most of us only know from the news. My Name is Rachel Corrie opens on the historic Hart House Theatre stage on Wednesday, October 17th, 2012 for a limited run.

In March 2003, 23 year-old American student, Rachel Corrie, was crushed to death by an Isreali Defense Forces bulldozer in the Gaza Strip while trying to stop the demolition of a Palestinian home. My Name is Rachel Corrie is a controversial, passionate and stunning account of a girl who sought to discover the human impact of her own country's foreign policies on people thousands of miles from her home. Since its sold-out opening in 2005, My Name is Rachel Corrie has acted as a catalyst for discussion and continues to spark heated debate.

Taking on the role of Rachel Corrie is Montreal native Amelia Sargisson. Most recently, Amelia appeared in the premiere of Daniel Karasik's award-winning play Haunted at the 2012 SummerWorks Festival. Other recent credits include bringing to life five characters in the 2012 Toronto FringeKIDS show, Water, and reprising the role Jackie in Daniel Karasik's The Innocents (Tarragon Theatre) which she oringinated at the 2010 SummerWorks Festival. Other highlights include appearing in an adaptation Michel Tremblay's La Duchesse de Langeais (2011 Toronto Fringe Festival, NOW Magazine Outstanding Ensemble); The Madonna Painter (Centaur Theatre); down from heaven (Imago Theatre, Cartes Premières Award for Best Actress); co-creating and performing in The Art of Catching Pigeons by Torchlight (SummerWorks Festival, Spotlight Award). Amelia also spent five seasons performing with Shakespeare-in-the-Park and is currently co-creating The Besetting of Reena Virk with fellow members of the Subtle Vigilance Collective. Amelia is a proud graduate of Ryerson Theatre School.

Award winning director Mumbi Tindyebwa Otu returns to Hart House Theatre to direct My Name is Rachel Corrie. She made her inaugural directing debut at the historic theatre with the production of Ntozake Shange's For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf'. Mumbi is the founding Artistic Director of IFT theatre and has worked with Canadian Stage, Volcano Theatre, Obsidian Theatre, DvXT and The AfriCan Theatre Ensemble. Currently, she is working at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival as the the Assistant Director for the world premiere of renowned Canadian playwright Daniel MacIvor's The Best Brothers. Mumbi is a graduate of the University of Toronto and York University.

U of T's Performing Arts Leader Since 1919 - Hart House Theatre is not only a cultural hub for the University of Toronto but a cultural destination for the city. Under the direction of Artsitic Dorector Jeremy Hutton, we are dedicated to developing dynamic productions for a diverse and discerning modern audience with a roster full of the best emerging theatrical talent this country has to offer. The Art Deco theatre has cultivated and featured some of the country's finest actors, directors, playwrights and designers, including Raymond Massey, Dora Mavor Moore, William Hutt, Donald Sutherland, Norman Jewison, Lorne Michaels, and more recently Andre Sills and Tyrone Savage. Recent productions include The Night of the Iguana, Cabaret, Equus, Jerry Springer: The Opera and Macbeth.

My Name is Rachel Corrie

Taken from the writings of Rachel Corrie
Edited by Alan Rickman and Katharine Viner
Directed by: Mumbi Tindyebwa Otu
Starring: Amelia Sargisson
Set and Costume Design by: Mariuxi Zambrani
Lighting Design by Sarah Masikka
Video and Sound Design by: David Mesiha

October 17 - 20, 2012
at Hart House Theatre (7 Hart House Circle)

 Performances:
 Wednesday - Saturday at 8PM


Ticket Prices:
 Adults $25; Student & Seniors $15
 $10 Student Tickets every Wednesday
Tickets can be purchased at UofTtix Box Office by phone, 416.978.8849, online at www.uofttix.ca or in person.

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