The horse is an Arabic symbol for freedom. This symbol keeps recurring in Alaa’s life. In his hometown in Palestine, there is a 5-metre-high statue of a horse made from the wreckage of bombed-out ambulances, cars and houses. This statue represents resistance and resilience. It is the pride of Jenin. When an Israeli bulldozer scoops and steals this statue, Alaa wonders: What happened to the horse? Has it been arrested? Was the horse interrogated? And did the horse tell about Alaa’s secrets?

International acting collective Troupe Courage creates theatre about people’s ingenuity in their struggle to survive. Alaa is now in the Netherlands and it is more urgent than ever that he tells his survival story. From fragments of memories and humorous personal stories, Alaa creates a solo performance where imagination meets freedom.

Alaa Shehada (born 1991) is an actor and comedian from Jenin (West Bank). In 2014, he graduated from ‘The Freedom Theatre’. Since Troupe Courage gave a workshop there in 2011, he immediately became a regular actor of the collective. Besides Troupe Courage, he works as a doctor clown for Red Noses International and is co-founder and director of ‘The Palestine Comedy Club’. He has appeared on stages around the world, from the US to Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia and has collaborated with renowned directors such as Amir Nizar Zubi, Mark Thomas and Di Trevis. In 2018, he received the award for best performance at the Palestinian National Theatre Festival, received an award at the International Festival of Liberal Theatre in Jordan and received the title of best screenwriter for “London Jenin” in 2019.

The Horse of Jenin in the press
'By portraying some characters as larger-than-life, Shehada creates a beautiful, impressionistic picture of his youth. From a primary school teacher with one of the first mobile phones, so large that the children call it 'the fridge,' to the mayor who tries to take credit for all the good things happening in Jenin. Shehada frequently interrupts his story with masked performance, in which he portrays the characters in commedia dell'arte style, thus evoking an even stronger sense of half-forgotten memories through the eyes of a child.' Marijn Lems in **** NRC
‍
'When violence is brought up, Shehada quickly softens his narrative with a comedic twist, which in turn makes the story even more poignant.' Neil van der Linden, Theaterkrant.nl
‍

(NL) Het paard is een Arabisch symbool voor vrijheid en blijft terugkomen in het leven van Troupe Courage acteur Alaa Shehada (Jenin/Palestina). In zijn woonplaats staat een metershoog standbeeld van een paard. Het vertegenwoordigt verzet en veerkracht, het is de trots van Jenin. Als een Israëlische bulldozer het standbeeld verwijdert, vraagt Alaa zich af: Wat is er met het paard gebeurd? Uit brokstukken van herinneringen bouwt Alaa een nieuw paard met een enorme dosis humor en verbeelding.

De voorstelling is in het Engels gesproken.