The Horse of Jenin
“Alaa’s performance had more impact on me than the thousands of images I’ve seen on TV or the news.” - Noordhollands Dagblad
Written and performed by Alaa Shehada
In association with GOH Productions
Originally produced by Troupe Courage (Amsterdam)
Part of Under the Radar
GOH Productions is collaborating with 55B Productions on the project.
US PREMIERE: After a major invasion of Jenin in April 2002, a German artist led an art workshop using the wreckage of bombed-out homes, cars, and ambulances. A giant sculpture of a horse was constructed, and as an Arabic symbol of freedom, the horse became the pride of Jenin. In November 2023, an Israeli bulldozer removed the horse. In this solo show, performer Alaa Shehada investigates: what happened to the horse? Was it arrested? Did they put it in jail? And did it tell the story of what happened to his best friend Ahmed? Using fragments of his memories and humorous personal stories, Alaa builds a new horse that is a theatrical symbol of resistance, resilience, and the power of imagination.
Written and performed by Alaa Shehada
In association with GOH Productions
Originally produced by Troupe Courage (Amsterdam)
Part of Under the Radar
GOH Productions is collaborating with 55B Productions on the project.
Written and performed by Alaa Shehada
Directed by Katrien van Beurden and Thomas van Ouwerkerk
Stand-up comedy & script consultant - Sam Beale
Masks - Den Durand
Music - Remy van Kesteren and Khalil Albatran
Dramaturgy - Maarten Bos
Production support (Amsterdam) - Monique Bos
Portrait Photography - Dario & Misja
Alaa Shehada is an actor and comedian who was educated at The Freedom Theatre Acting School in Jenin, Palestine, a company nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in February 2024. Alaa is a co-founder of The Palestine Comedy Club, a core member of Troupe Courage in Amsterdam, and a “Doctor-Clown” with Red Noses International. He toured extensively in the USA and Australia with Amir Nizar Zuabi’s Grey Rock (UTR 2020), a play about love and dreams in Palestine. He is a recipient of a Jury Award at the International Festival of Liberal Theatre in Jordan, Best Show at the Palestinian National Theatre Festival 2018, and Best Script Co-Writer 2019 for London Jenin. He is one of the few Palestinian men who is still unmarried.
GOH Productions is collaborating with 55B Productions
Part of Under The Radar, the annual festival of experimental theater.
Under the Radar is the United States' premier festival of experimental theater and performance art. As a long-time New York City-based platform for cutting-edge work hailing from around the globe. Produced by ArKtype with Festival Director Mark Russell, UTR has been reimagined in its 20th annual season as a city-wide celebration that incisively speaks to our moment. Rather than being tied to a single host institution, Under the Radar's current iteration is curated collaboratively with an array of renowned arts organizations and curators, each harnessing the connective nature of the festival format to introduce some of the world's most innovative multidisciplinary voices to wider audiences. The 2025 edition of UTR will include over 33 distinct programs at 24 theater spaces, presenting more than 250 performances in only 16 days from January 4 to 19. The depth, breadth and excellence of this year's festival serves as proof that collaboration can power the American theater through this era of existential crisis into a reinvigorat
ed future of conjoined artists ready to embrace diversity, challenge and reinvention.
Staff Festival Founder + Director: Mark Russell
Co-Creative Director/Producer-in-Residence: Meropi Peponides
Co-Creative Director/Artist-in-Residence: Kaneza Schaal
Festival Producer: Thomas O. Kriegsmann & Sami Pyne | ArKtype
Producer, Symposium & Coming Attractions: Iyvon E.
Producer, Marketing & Public Programs: Bryn Herdrich
Director of Development: Kendall Masson
Director of Production: Brian Freeland
Marketing and Communications Strategy: Sapphire Stubbs | general population
Communications Manager, Copywriting & Strategy: John Seroff | GreenHouse Publicity Digital
Engagement and Social Media Lead: FAILSPACE
Press Representation: Blake Zidell & Adriana Leshko | Blake Zidell & Associates
Website Design: Abigail Browde
Producing Fellow: Joy Chen
Dramaturgy Fellow: Anastasia Ellis
Artist & Presenter Services Fellow: Carolina Hurtado Castro
Public Programs Fellow: Margot Anderson-Son