THE LABORATORY FOR GLOBAL POLITICS & PERFORMANCE AND STUDIO THEATRE PRESENT SCREENINGS OF THE EDINBURGH FRINGE FESTIVAL HIT THE HORSE OF JENIN BY PALESTINIAN ARTIST ALAA SHEHADA
Studio Theatre, in partnership with the Laboratory for Global Politics and Performance (The Lab), will screen a recorded performance of Alaa Shehada‘s Edinburgh Fringe Festival hit The Horse of Jenin this spring. Studio’s screening will be held on April 7 and the Lab’s screening will be held on April 8.
Studio had planned to present The Horse of Jenin as a live performance in its 2025-2026 season, in cooperation with . But in November 2025, playwright and performer Shehada was unexpectedly detained by Customs and Border Patrol trying to enter the U.S. on his valid O1-B visa granted to individuals recognized for extraordinary ability in the arts; he was ultimately denied entry and sent back to his residence in Amsterdam. Then, at the start of 2026, the United States issued a ban on entry into the US for individuals traveling on Palestinian Authority documentation.
“In my first season, we hosted a production of Penelope from Druid Ireland,” noted Studio Artistic Director David Muse, “and we’ve worked with artists and companies from the UK, Norway, South Africa, Australia, Canada, Iran, and New Zealand. This is the first time that we haven’t been able to bring an artist with a visa into the country.”
A number of theatres across the United States will be presenting screenings as well, in lieu of the live tour Shehada had planned for this season, including the New York Theatre Workshop and PlayCo in New York City, Golden Thread and Crowded Fire in San Francisco, and Dunya Productions and Donkeysaddle Projects in Seattle.
“I had the privilege of seeing The Horse of Jenin in Edinburgh last summer and found it both profoundly moving and uplifting,” said Dr. Derek Goldman, the Artistic Director, Executive Director, and Co-Founder of the Lab. “Alaa is a master storyteller and brilliant comedian who deeply understands the healing power of laughter, and its capacity to break through divides and create deep and genuine human connection. While I am heartsick that DC audiences will not be able to have this experience with the live production this Spring as planned, it’s a gift to have the chance to gather in community for these special screenings. You don’t want to miss it.”
Although unable to perform in person, Shehada will join audiences by video conference prior to both screenings for a discussion with the audience. The film is a recording of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival production that first caught Muse’s attention in 2025.
“I would much rather be talking about the show itself,” said Muse. “It’s funny, it’s a slice of life solo show from a life that many Americans don’t know much about. One of the great strengths of Alaa’s show is how simultaneously relatable and distinct his journey to becoming an artist is—his first dates, first play, hanging around with his best friend all take place in the shadow of the second intifada, which inform his life, artistry, and sense of humor in ways I think DC audiences will find compelling and enjoyable. I am sorry that we won’t be able to bring this livewire performance to Studio in person, but a screening of The Horse of Jenin offers some of the same experience.”
General info
Trailer: https://youtu.be/iCAE7B41Hs4?si=DEnFDpsIDljvJs9e
Studio screening
Date and time: April 7, 2026, 7:00pm
Location: 1501 14th St. NW, Washington, DC
Cost: $15
Parking: [boilerplate]
Link for tickets: https://studiotheatre.org/buy/tickets/the-horse-of-jenin
Lab screening
Date and time: April 8, 2026, 7:00pm
Location: ICC Auditorium, Georgetown University
Cost: $15 for general audiences; free for Georgetown students and staff
Link for tickets: https://globallab.georgetown.edu/
About the Show
With a mix of stand-up, storytelling, and mask work, Palestinian comedian Alaa Shehada tells the story of coming of age and coming to art under the watch of the Horse of Jenin: a giant sculpture created from the rubble of a major invasion in Jenin in 2003. Alaa leads the audience from his PlayStation-loving best friend to his disastrous teenage romance, to the time he told his parents he was studying engineering while sneaking a degree in acting—a choice that would take him from Palestine to Amsterdam and beyond. A sold-out hit in the 2025 Edinburgh Fringe and winner of a Fringe First Award, The Horse of Jenin spins the story of a community marked by loss, resilience, and humor.
About the Artist
Alaa Shehada is a theatre maker, 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. He has performed in the USA, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, Turkey and the UK. He has 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.
About Studio Theatre
Studio Theatre is a national leader in the production of contemporary plays. Over 46 years and more than 425 productions, Studio has grown from a company that produced in a single rented theatre to one that owns a multi-venue complex stretching half a city block, but has remained committed to core distinguishing characteristics: deliberately intimate spaces, excellence in acting and design, and seasons that feature many of the most significant playwrights of our time. Studio’s seasons are intentionally diverse and eclectic, featuring buzzworthy plays from today’s hot writers, groundbreaking world premieres, and reinvigorated contemporary classics, produced and performed by leading local, national, and international artists. Studio also incubates and develops new work, nurtures the next generation of arts leaders, and proactively engages with its community through a wide array of initiatives. Studio is committed to inclusion and access and makes a concentrated effort to proactively dismantle barriers that have excluded people from joyful participation in our art form. Studio’s location, rich history, unique venues, and commitment to artistry have made it a regional landmark, where audiences find the best that contemporary theatre has to offer.
About the Laboratory for Global Politics and Performance
The Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics (The Lab) was founded in 2012 with the mission of humanizing global politics through performance. The Lab’s work harnesses narrative, memory, and acts of witnessing to spark transformation and change. With highly visible original productions, partnerships, and initiatives, The Lab cultivates a distinctive global community of collaborators, including students, emerging artists, educators, policy leaders, and activists. The Lab is the creator of the In Your Shoes™ methodology and The Art of Care Initiative, as well as internationally acclaimed original productions such as Remember This: The Lesson of Jan Karski and Here I Am.