By Robert Simonson
05 Oct 2006

Megan Dodds will reprise her role in the American premiere of the acclaimed — and controversial — historical solo play My Name Is Rachel Corrie, which begins preview Oct. 5 at Off-Broadway’s Minetta Lane Theatre.

Dodds played Rachel Corrie in the April 2005 Royal Court Theatre production, and reprised the role both at The Royal Court and at The Playhouse Theatre in London’s West End in spring 2006.

The limited engagement will play 48 performances through Nov. 19. Opening is Oct. 15. (more…)

The sister city project operates on a small budget, but does depend on donations for many projects to continue.

ORSCP is a private non-profit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to creating a lasting friendship between people in Rafah, Palestine and Olympia, Washington.

We have many projects to accomplish and every donation is precious to us. Thank you for your generous contribution and remember, your donations are tax deductible.

Please make checks payable to: “ORSCP” or the “Olympia-Rafah Sister City Project” and mail it to:

For the last three years, community members in Olympia, WA, and Rafah, Palestine, have been working together to create a lasting, sincere partnership to better foster understanding between people who have not traditionally had a chance to get to know one another. It is our belief that by forming such bonds between communities, misunderstandings can be overcome and distances and differences — whether they be cultural, linguistic or political — can be bridged. We believe these sorts of humanistic, people-to-people connections are vital to creating a world in which all people are treated with respect.

We derive our core mission from the writings of Rachel Corrie, an Olympia native who witnessed and was a prolific writer about the occupation of the Palestinian territories and the lives of people she met there, particularly in Rafah, where she lived and worked as a human rights activist until she was killed, March 16, 2003, by an Israeli military bulldozer sent to demolish a family’s home. (more…)

Panelists included James Yee, former Muslim US Army Chaplain, Simona Shironi, Israeli-American professor at The Evergreen State College, and Therese Saliba, also a professor at Evergreen. Panelists discussed the current situation in the context of history of the region, what current actions mean to people there, how the US is a key player in the conflict, and what the response of American Muslim groups has been.