Staging of play was all about timing

I am bewildered by Katharine Viner’s “A message crushed again” (Opinion, March 1). New York Theatre Workshop has never shied away from controversial work. We moved toward a production of “My Name is Rachel Corrie” with short notice and almost no preparation time, the schedule largely driven by director Alan Rickman’s film schedule. We were also in discussions with the Royal Court about helping mount an American tour following the New York engagement.

When we discovered how deeply ingrained the attitudes were on all sides and what a marketing and contextualizing challenge this posed, we became convinced we didn’t have enough time to best serve the powerful voice of Rachel Corrie. We asked our London colleagues about altering the time frame. We did not cancel the production but proposed doing the play next season when all parties might be available following the proposed American tour.

Our commitment to the play has never wavered. On the bright side, I am pleased to see that a West End engagement has been secured. But to have our request for more time blown into a screed about censorship is stunning.

JAMES C. NICOLA

Artistic Director

New York Theatre Workshop