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The horse of Jenin

Troupe Courage | Alaa Shehada
Fri 26 Sep 20:15
Fri 26 Sep 2025
20:15
  • Fri 26 Sep 2025
    20:15
    Theater aan het Spui, Den Haag
    Hall 2
    From Sun 18 May 2025 10:00

Ever since October 2023, the life of Troupe Courage performer Alaa Shehada (Jenin, Palestina) has been wholly upturned. Alaa is in the Netherlands right now, and it's more urgent than ever that he tells his story. The performance is an ode to the power of imagination and the value of playing freely. Both physical theatre, a personal story about living in Palestine, and a celebration of imagination.

In April 2002, a major invasion took place in Jenin. In the aftermath, a German artist came over for an art workshop. After four weeks, with the help of 15 Palestinians, he unveiled the result: a horse as tall as 5 metres built from metal fragments and debris from the bombings. They rode the horse through the city and everyone was proud of it, people felt lifted by it.

The horse is an Arabic symbol of freedom, but this horse was also a symbol of peaceful resistance, of resilience. Last November 2023, an Israeli bulldozer entered the camp and the horse was removed. 

In this solo, Alaa wonders: what happened to the horse? Was it arrested? Did it go to court ? Was he able to defend himself? Did they put him in jail?

With this solo, Alaa builds a new horse: constructed from the fragments of his memories, supplemented with a huge dose of humour and imagination. A theatrical symbol of resistance and imagination.

Theatre for Palestine

This performance is part of a full weekend of programme around Palestine, with works by Palestinian theatre makers and much more. All proceeds from the ticket sales will be donated to a local organization in Palestine. More information will follow soon, including the full programme and extra activities.

Part of

In the media

NRC ★★★★
"Steeds weet Shehada echter goed het midden te houden tussen de gruwelen van de bezetting en het feit dat je als Palestijns kind ook gewoon je leven leidt – en je eerste verliefdheid beleeft bijvoorbeeld."

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About Troupe Courage

Troupe Courage (formerly Theatre Hotel Courage) is an international acting collective that produces performances and conducts workshops worldwide. They create theater using archetypal masks to play characters from all walks of life, such as the old woman, the dictator, the playing child and the refugee. In a completely empty space with live music, the actors manage to enchant the audience with their transformations and bring collected stories to life in the imagination of the viewer.

About Alaa Shehada

Alaa Shehada (born 1991) is an actor and comedian from Jenin (West Bank). In 2014, he graduated from The Freedom Theatre. When Troupe Courage gave a workshop there in 2011, he immediately became a regular actor of the collective.

No Dutch Required

Greetings internationals and Anglophiles!

Credits

writing & performance Alaa Shehada
direction Katrien van Beurden, Thomas van Ouwerkerk
stand-Up comedy & script consultant Sam Beale
masks Den Durand
music Remy van Kesteren
dramaturgy Maarten Bos
company manager Monique Bos
publicity Sarah Milo
special thanks Voordekunst, Jacqueline Kleijn, Hugo Keuzenkamp, Tjipke Bergsma, Nan van Houte, Lucas Hendricks

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