A West Bank Road Trip

Following his award-winning debut play, The Horse of Jenin, Palestine-born comic and actor Alaa Shehada returns with his latest solo work, The Bridge. Co-written with and directed by Sam Beale, the production brings Shehada’s personal lens to systemic political realities, using physical comedy, witty humour and engrossing storytelling to confront the very real, enduring legacy of British colonialism in Palestine, alongside the daily friction of Israeli occupation. Having graduated from the Nobel Peace Prize-nominated Freedom Theatre Acting School in Jenin Refugee Camp, Shehada’s first hand experience sheds light on the harsh truths of the Palestinian experience through the medium of side-splitting comedy and captivating theatre.

What Is The Story?

The Bridge follows Alaa on an annual pilgrimage from his hometown of Jenin to Amman, tasked with delivering a container of his family’s olive oil to his aunt in Jordan. Crossing the only checkpoint permitted for West Bank Palestinians - the bridge crossing the Jordan Valley - he has to contend with a leaking container, leaving oil dripping across the borders, the Isreali-occupied regions, and across Jordan. This simple act of familial tradition is the centrepoint for a comical play which serves as a poignant exploration of hope in the face of colonialism, occupation and displacement.