alaa shehada
Actor, Comedian & Educator
“‘So much misery, and then still funny and beautiful and a horse and dancing. Alaa can do it all.’”
Alaa Shehada (Playwright, Actor and comedian ) is a Palestinian theatre maker whose work blends physical comedy, stand-up, and mask performance. A graduate of The Freedom Theatre Acting School in Jenin Refugee Camp – an institution nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2024 – Shehada uses humor and storytelling to amplify Palestinian experiences on global stages.
His critically acclaimed solo show The Horse of Jenin offers a moving and humorous reflection on his upbringing in Jenin and has been performed internationally. In 2025, he joined comedian Bassem Youssef on stage and delivered a TEDx London talk alongside comedian Nish Kumar.
Alaa is the co-founder of the Palestine Comedy Club, a pioneering platform for Palestinian comedians to share their stories and culture.
Awards
2018 — Best Show, Palestinian National Theatre Festival
2019 — Jury Award, International Festival of Liberal Theatre, Jordan
2019 — Best Script Co-Writer, London Jenin
2025 — The Horse of Jenin — Fringe First Award, Edinburgh Festival Fringe
2025 — Alaa Shehada / The Horse of Jenin — Outwith Award for Best International Talent
NISH KUMAR & ALAA SHEHADA
How comedy can build empathy | Alaa Shehada & Nish Kumar | TEDxLondon
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
Contact
Available for commissions worldwide
