Jenin is a city in the West Bank in Palestine and the hometown of Palestinian artist Alaa Shehada. Known as the site of many events in the Israeli and Palestinian conflict, in Shehada’s childhood memories, it is a place filled with laughter, love, and an unshakable sense of community. His show ‘The Horse of Jenin’ is not here to satisfy those who look only for stories of suffering. Instead, it offers a heartfelt portrait of his city and its people as he remembers them.

With vibrant Palestinian music and joyful dancing, Shehada arrives on the stage of the Queen Dome at the Pleasance. At the very start of the Fringe, his show already received five star reviews. ‘Who comes here for the five star review?’ he asks with a smile, beginning with a playful improvised stand-up routine. Many hands go up in the audience. It is a moment that disarms and surprises, especially for those expecting a Palestinian story to begin in solemn tones. Shehada gently teases that audiences in Europe and America tend to be more restrained than those back home in Jenin, where every gesture and every line might bring a laugh.

From here, Shehada leads us through the story of his life: his birth, his childhood, his friendship with Ahmed who was born on the very same day, and his discovery of the Freedom Theatre of Jenin. Through masks and mime Shehada shifts effortlessly between characters from his past: Ahmed who found unexpected treasures in the rubble, the eccentric mayor of Jenin, his English teacher, his many aunts and uncles, his American acting coach, and his first love. Even when these characters speak mostly in Arabic, his expressive physical theatre ensures the audience never loses the meaning. We watch him smoke his first cigarette and arrange secret meetings with his first love under the towering Horse of Jenin.

The horse itself is more than a backdrop in his stories. Standing five metres tall, built from the debris of a major invasion, it became a constant companion in Shehada’s youth and a symbol for the resilience and freedom for his community. ‘The horse in Arabic is a symbol of freedom. But to us, this horse is much more. This horse is us,’ he says. Yet, sadly, real life is not a fairy tale. In October 2023, the Horse of Jenin was destroyed by an Israeli bulldozer.

That loss casts a long shadow over the memories he shares. Throughout the show, Shehada’s memory is always a mixture of games, laughter, and friendship alongside the constant reality of helicopters overhead, checkpoints to pass, and soldiers on the streets. He remembers a 2002 raid that took lives and caused injuries not only in the building that was targeted but also in an ambulance rushing to help. 

By the time the performance ends, the Horse of Jenin has come to stand for far more than a landmark in Shehada’s personal history. It becomes a living emblem of joy, love, happiness, resilience, loss, and collective memory. Through the warmth of his storytelling, the humour that lightens even the heaviest moments, and the care with which he embodies each character, Shehada ensures that the spirit of the Horse, and of the community it represents, will remain in the hearts of everyone who has shared this journey with him.

‘The Horse of Jenin‘ is at Pleasance Dome – Queen Dome until Mon 25 Aug 2025 at 14:20