Help us take "My Name Is Rachel Corrie" to Fringe

Aim: We are staging a production of the critically acclaimed play 'My Name is Rachel Corrie' at Edinburgh Fringe

OVERVIEW

A Jewish team, Sascha Shinder, Gabriel Speechly and Ben Edwards, join forces with award-winning theatre director Susan Worsfold to bring Rachel Corrie’s story to life at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe. Rachel was a courageous 23-year-old American who left her comfortable life in 2003 to stand between an Israeli bulldozer and a Palestinian home in Gaza. This production offers an intimate, urgent exploration of resistance, hope and humanity in the face of injustice.

"What if our aloneness isn't a tragedy? What if our aloneness is what allows us to speak the truth without being afraid?"

- Rachel Corrie

MISSION

Our goal is to bring My Name is Rachel Corrie to the stage at ZOO Southside in Edinburgh as part of Fringe Festival from August 1st to 24th 2025. Our production team is deeply passionate about sharing Rachel Corrie's story - a narrative of courage, compassion, and unwavering commitment to justice.

By supporting our production, you are not only helping to bring this powerful narrative to life but also making an impact on the lives of those affected by conflict and injustice. 10% of our ticket sales will go to the Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice, which continues the work that Rachel began and hoped to accomplish. We will also have card readers at the show in the hope that people may feel moved to donate funds to help alleviate the humanitarian crisis currently taking place in Gaza.

PRAISE

Our original sold-out run took place at The Old Red Lion Theatre in London last summer and was featured in The Guardian (link) and Middle East Eye (link). 

Audience members were effusive in their comments:

“I really want to see your amazing performance in more venues.”

- Arifa Akbar, chief theatre critic at the Guardian

“You brought Rachel back to life.”

- Mohammed Qeshta, former ISM coordinator and friend of Rachel

“This adaptation brings what is happening in the region to life again and helps others understand the context in which we live in right now. Sascha does this well with amazing acting skills and interpretations. The closing scene brings the whole thing to the much needed now.” 

- Ahmed Masoud, Palestinian playwright

TARGET

We are aiming to raise £15,000 from your generous support to cover production costs and pay a small wage to the creatives involved. This may sound like a lot of money - but it's realistically what we need in order to cover the following costs: 

• Technical Equipment and Venue Costs;
• Marketing Expenses to promote the production;
• Accommodation in Edinburgh for creatives;
• Travel for production team to/from Edinburgh;
• Props, Costumes and Extras;
• Rights for the Play.

So, if you would like to help us bring Rachel's story to an audience at Edinburgh Fringe, please consider donating to this Crowdfunder project. Please spread the word to others who might be able to add financial support to this project.

Why Us, Why This, and Why Now?
We are a predominantly Jewish team who feel it is crucial to share Rachel's story with the world as it offers a unique perspective on the reality of the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Rachel acts as a surrogate for the audience as they are taken on a journey from her privileged life in the West to the horrifying everyday reality of Gaza in 2003. As Rachel attempts to process the injustice she witnesses, a space opens for the audience to access a point of view not dissimilar from their own, providing an invaluable opportunity for empathy that we hope will transcend political beliefs.

As Jewish creatives, we hope that this production will create a space for people of all backgrounds to experience Rachel's story. We are collaborating with Palestinian creatives to help contribute to a back-and-forth dialogue between Muslims and those of Jewish descent that makes space for humanity and compassion, while recognising the clear injustices taking place. We strongly feel that Palestinian voices should be elevated, and Rachel's story offers a unique platform upon which those narratives, centred around the people whose lives are constricted on a continuing basis, can take their rightful place at the heart of discussions regarding the past, present and future of Israel/Palestine.

The daily reality of evictions and demolitions witnessed by Rachel in Gaza in 2003 continues to this day in the West Bank at an accelerating pace, and activists have continued to put themselves in the line of fire. Since Rachel's death on March 16, 2003 in Rafah, at least 14 activists have been killed by the Israeli army. Meanwhile, at least 17 foreign activists have been arrested in the period since October 2023 alone.

In the light of these shocking statistics, we feel it is more important than ever to tell Rachel's story, one of courage, youthful idealism, and commitment to justice in the face of overwhelming opposition. As the struggle against, as Tilda Swinton eloquently put it, "the astonishing savagery of spite, state-perpetrated and internationally enabled mass murder" continues, this is a parable of hope, a demonstration of the power of individuals to come together to build a better world, even when it seems so very far away.

PERFORMER'S STATEMENT

Like many British Jews, I grew up with a narrow, emotionally charged view of Israel as a place of safety and identity. Over time, I found myself caught between leftist friends condemning Israel and family defending it. After October 7th, I was flooded with emotion but felt uninformed. I needed to understand more.

When I found My Name is Rachel Corrie, it felt like a lightning bolt. Rachel gave voice to questions and feelings I couldn’t articulate. Her journey — from privileged idealism to confronting brutal reality — mirrored my own in many ways. Her humanity, her refusal to see the world in binaries, deeply moved me.

This next iteration of the play, directed by Susan Worsfold, will be a deep dive into the space where Rachel’s voice meets mine as a British Jew. We hope this process - and this piece - will resonate with audiences across the political spectrum, uniting them in a shared recognition of our humanity, even in the face of disagreement.

TEAM

Actor: Sascha Shinder

Sascha is a London-based actor and theatre maker, trained on the MA Acting course at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Her work spans performance, writing, and direction, with a focus on politically engaged and physically expressive theatre. She wrote and performed her acclaimed one-woman show Pufferfish at the Golden Goose Theatre, and directed a bold feminist reimagining of A Clockwork Orange at the Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts in Brighton.

With a foundation in dance and ongoing training in the Nadine George Voice Technique, Sascha brings a dynamic physicality and vocal depth to her practice. Most recently, she produced and starred in My Name is Rachel Corrie at The Old Red Lion Theatre — a fundraiser performance in support of Ahmed Masoud’s family in Gaza.

Producer: Gabriel Speechly

Gabriel Speechly is a producer with a background in high-end film and television development, now bringing his skills and passion to the world of theatre. He has worked with acclaimed production companies including The Bureau, Number 9 Films, and DNA Films, and has collaborated closely with BAFTA-winning writers on historical dramas and original series. 

With hands-on experience in script development, research, and coordinating international creative teams, Gabriel is drawn to bold, character-driven stories that resonate both on screen and on stage. This production marks a natural extension of his creative path — championing live performance as a space for connection, provocation, and storytelling at its most immediate.

Director: Susan Worsfold

Susan Worsfold is an award-winning theatre director with over 30 years of experience. Her work is unapologetically political in nature, and she has worked with The National Theatre of Scotland and received support from Creative Scotland, British Council Scotland, British Council Brazil and the Arab Fund for Arts & Culture. 

Susan is co-company director of Queen Jesus Plays, working with Jo Clifford and producer Annabel Cooper to direct the internationally acclaimed The Gospel According to Jesus, Queen of Heaven, which toured to Brazil in 2016 with support from British Council, won a Made in Scotland and Scottish Arts Award and continues to tour nationally and internationally. She has won two further Made in Scotland awards, most recently for Heroine, performing at Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh Fringe 2018 and touring internationally thereafter.

Stage Manager: Elizabeth Robbins

Elizabeth Robbins is a Glasgow-based stage manager and theatre maker with work spanning across the US and UK. Some of her most notable SM credits include workshops of Reynaldo Piniella’s bilingual Hamlet at Classical Theatre of Harlem and The Public Theatre, Carmen and Albert Herring with Stony Brook Opera, and extensive work with the Berklee School of Music’s New York campus. 

Elizabeth is also the co-founder of Audaciously Tenacious Theatre, a new company championing opportunities and living wages for emerging talent in the Scottish theatre industry. Their debut production Perfect Dead Girls, a recipient of the 2025 Keep It Fringe Fund and a Highly Recommended Show by the Fringe Review, is playing at Bedlam Theatre at Edinburgh Fringe 2025.

Sound Designer/Composer: Ben Edwards

Ben Edwards is a composer and sound designer from North London. He has a versatile approach to sound production and a unique ability to capture a feeling through music and sound. This has led him to work with global brands as well as independent filmmakers, scoring ads, short films and experimental pieces. My Name is Rachel Corrie is Ben’s first foray into theatrical production, and having initially collaborated for the play performed in summer 2024 in London, his work will be following the production up to Edinburgh this year.

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 12th August 2025 at 1:55pm