Cast Set For APPLICATION 39 UK Tour

Casting has been announced for the UK tour of Application 39; a sharply satirical, future-facing drama by Palestinian writer Ahmed Masoud, directed by Cressida Brown. The world premiere production opens at Bristol Old Vic (23 - 26 Sep) with the press performance on 24 September 2026 and will then tour to Northern Stage in Newcastle (30 Sep - 1 Oct), New Wolsey in Ipswich (6 - 7 Oct), Factory International's Aviva Studios in Manchester (9 - 10 Oct) and Stratford East in London (13 - 14 Oct) .

Application 39 imagines 'a Gaza risen from ruin, unexpectedly awarded the right to host the 2048 Olympic Games, exactly 100 years after the Nakba'. It is bold, irreverent, and rooted in lived testimony as well as speculative hope.

The full cast includes Nadia Dawber (Majenin: A Palestinian Love Story - Edinburgh Fringe) as Lamma, James El-Sharawy (Around the World in 80 Days - The Barn Theatre) as Rayyan, Sama Rantisi (Tomorrow Will Be a Palestinian Day - Theatre 503) as Selma and Ghantus Wael (Much Ado About Nothing - Al-Kasaba Theatre) as President.

In Application 39, two young IT workers in the municipality of Gaza hack the bid process for the 2048 Olympics as a prank - and win. Their “victory” becomes a surreal yet pressing journey through occupation, bureaucracy, absurdity, and reconstruction. This stage version draws on real-life testimonies, including from Gaza itself, to pose a radical question: what if Gaza were no longer rubble and siege - but a site of global gathering, resistance and renewal?

The Set and Costume Designer is Charlotte Espiner, the Lighting Designer is Imogen Clarke, the Sound Design is by Ed Lewis and the Composer is Sami El-Anany.

Biographies

Ahmed Masoud is a Palestinian and British writer, theatre maker, and academic. His plays include The Shroud Maker, Camouflage, Passports, Mo Salah, Jinn and Other Complicated Things; and his novels, Vanished: The Mysterious Disappearance of Mustafa Ouda and Come What May. Masoud is the founder of the Al Zaytouna Dance Company and PalArt Collective.

Cressida Brown directs. Her theatre credits include The Political History of Smack and Crack, England & Son (UK tour), Cutting the Tightrope: The Divorce of Politics from Arts (Arcola Theatre), Amphibians (Bridewell Theatre), Twelfth Night (RSC and Guangzhou Dramatic Arts Centre), Icarus, Septimus Bean and His Amazing Machine (Unicorn Theatre), Food (Finborough Theatre), Screens, Speaking Freely, Hotel Du Vin, The Words are Coming Now (Theatre503). Brown also created a documentary film titled Ruby Francis' Nubian Songs, in association with the Bush Theatre.

Nadia Dawber plays Lamma. She was born in Nazareth and is of Palestinian, British and German heritage. She co-starred in Underground which won Best First-Time Feature at Boden International Film Festival and earlier this year completed filming for feature PYRE.

Most recent theatre work includes a full Edinburgh Fringe 2026 run of Majenin: A Palestinian Love Story. Other recent theatre credits include Antigone, Valhalla, A Midsummer Night's Dream and As You Like It.

Nadia will play Aaliyah in upcoming short film My Love, Jenin, currently in pre-production supported by award-winning Philistine Films (Palestine), BLEAT Post-Production (UK) and FEST (Portugal).

James El-Sharawy plays Rayyan. Theatre credits includes: Around the World in 80 Days (The Barn Theatre); Border Control (The Vaults); The Response (The Seagull Theatre/Soho Theatre);  I Have two Names (Richmix); Cry Havoc (Park Theatre); Camouflage (Amnesty International); The Fifth Column (Southwark Playhouse); Scattered (Theatr Clwyd/Good Chance Theatre, Calais); The Cutting of the Cloth (Southwark Playhouse); Walaa (The New Diorama/ St Martin in the Fields). Film & TV includes:  Jesus Crown of Thorns, Don't go in the Garden, Cuttlefish, Ghanimah, EastEnders, Doctors, Tyrant Season 3, Headcleaner, Evidence of Existence.

Sama Rantisi plays Selma. She is a Palestinian actress, writer, and theatre-maker based in London. Her work focuses on political theatre and storytelling that explores identity and resistance. Her theatre credits include: Tomorrow Will Be a Palestinian Day at Theatre 503; Welcome to Gaza by Peter Oswald; Terminal 1 at Glastonbury Festival; Wipe These Tears with BEZNĂ Theatre. She is also the creator and lead artist of QUA (Strength), an Arts Council England and Bertha Artivism Award-funded project inspired by the writings of her late father, Palestinian journalist Samir Rantisi.

Alongside her artistic practice, Sama recently completed an MA in Linguistics at Queen Mary University of London, where her research focused on language, identity, and representation in Palestine.

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