Bush Theatre To Transfer THE HORSE OF JENIN To Main House In 2026 After Sold-Out Studio Run

The Bush Theatre will transfer The Horse of Jenin to its main house, the Holloway Theatre, for a limited run from 14–22 January 2026, following the show’s sold-out season in the theatre’s Studio space and its award-winning success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The venue will also present a fundraising comedy night led by the Palestine Comedy Club and Counterpoint Arts on 21 December 2025, and a special screening of the Palestine Comedy Club film on 17 January 2026. Tickets for all events will go on sale today.

Presented by the Palestine Comedy Club in association with the Bush Theatre and produced in the Netherlands by Troupe Courage, The Horse of Jenin is written and performed by Alaa Shehada and directed by Katrien van Beurden and Thomas van Ouwerkerk, with Sam Beale serving as comedy consultant and co-writer. The creative team includes mask designer Den Durand, composers Remy van Kesteren and Khalil Al Batran, dramaturg Maarten Bos, and designer Roderick Bredenoord.

The story centres on the Horse of Jenin, a sculpture built from the debris of a major invasion that stood in the centre of Jenin for two decades. The piece symbolised hope and resistance until 29 October 2023, when it was removed by an Israeli bulldozer. Shehada’s performance explores the sculpture’s legacy and its disappearance, drawing from his own memories and experiences growing up in Jenin.

Shehada is an actor and comedian from Palestine and a graduate of The Freedom Theatre Acting School in Jenin. He is co-founder of the Palestine Comedy Club, a core member of Troupe Courage in Amsterdam, and works as a “Doctor-Clown” with Red Noses International. The transfer provides an expanded platform for audiences to engage with the work.

On 21 December 2025, the Palestine Comedy Club and Counterpoint Arts’ No Direction Home will present a fundraising comedy night at the Bush. The evening will feature Shehada, Sami Abu Wardeh, talent from the No Direction Home project, and headline performer Nish Kumar. The event will support PalCom’s work with Palestinian artists and comedians.

A one-off screening of the Palestine Comedy Club film will follow on 17 January 2026 in the Holloway Theatre. Winner of a Raindance Spirit Award, the documentary follows six Palestinian comedians from Haifa, Ramallah, Jenin, Hebron, and the Golan Heights as they develop and tour a stand-up show across divided communities. The film chronicles the logistical challenges of moving performers across checkpoints and borders, as well as performances in London beginning on 7 October 2023.