alaa shehada
Actor, Comedian, Producer & Educator
“‘So much misery, and then still funny and beautiful and a horse and dancing. Alaa can do it all.’”
actor and comedian. A graduate of The Freedom Theatre Acting School in Jenin Refugee Camp, a company nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in February 2024, he specializes in physical comedy, stand-up comedy, and mask work.
As a co-founder of The Palestine Comedy Club, Alaa has developed a platform for Palestinian comedians to share their stories, humor, and culture. Shehada is a Clown Doctor with Red Noses International in the West Bank, leads theatre workshops for women and children in and outside of Palestine, as well as being a member of Troupe Courage in Amsterdam as a mask actor. His new comedy solo show, The Horse of Jenin, is a moving and humorous look at his upbringing in Jenin.
He has performed in the USA, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, Turkey and the UK. He’s worked with the directors Amir Nizar Zubi, Di Trevis and Katrien Van Beurden; and recently performed with comedian Bassem Youssef and held a TEDx London talk with comedian Nish Kumar.
Alaa Shehada is a theatre maker,
Awards
Alaa is a recipient of a Jury Award at the International Festival of Liberal Theatre in Jordan 2019, Best Show at the Palestinian National Theatre Festival 2018, and Best Script Co-Writer 2019 for London Jenin.
Current Projects
The Horse of Jenin
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.
Palestine Comedy Club Documentary
Directed by Alaa Shehada, PCC Follows six Palestinian stand-up comedians (Alaa, Hanna, Diana, Khalil, Ebaa, Raed) who write and tour a stand-up comedy show exploring the unlikely, often dark humour that surrounds the complexity of Palestinian identity. What starts as a blending of comic traditions to encourage honest and open reflections through the shared enjoyment of laughter becomes an existential imperative to share common humanity.
Palestine Comedy Club was profiled at Cannes Docs and Toronto International Film Festival work-in-progress strands in 2024. The film has been invited to multiple festivals in 2025.
‘The horse in Arabic is a symbol of freedom. But to us, this horse is much more. This horse is us.’
PRESS
“A symbol of freedom and resistance you may be able to destroy, the idea behind it you cannot.”
— NRC Handelsblad
“The show never loses sight of Palestinian suffering, but Alaa also very confidently conveys an uplifting mood that includes many moments of humour, pride and hope.”
— Keith Mckenna, British Theatre Review
“The captivating solo show effortlessly holds the full spectrum of what it means to be human, conjuring everything from child-like silliness to unimaginable grief. Playing with masks and a keffiyeh, Shehada embodies his younger self, grandfather, mother, and more with humor, grace, and sincerity.”
— Under the Radar
Available for commissions worldwide
Contact
