In Application 39, two young IT workers in the municipality of Gaza hack the bid process for the 2048 Olympics as a prank – and win. Their “victory” becomes a surreal yet pressing journey through occupation, bureaucracy, absurdity, and reconstruction. This stage version draws on real-life testimonies, including from Gaza itself, to pose a radical question: what if Gaza were no longer rubble and siege – but a site of global gathering, resistance and renewal?
ETT (English Touring Theatre), Matthew Schmolle Productions, and Stratford East announce the UK tour of Application 39; a sharply satirical, future-facing drama by Palestinian writer Ahmed Masoud, directed by Cressida Brown. The world premiere production opened at Bristol Old Vic and is currently at Northern Stage in Newcastle (30 Sep – 1 Oct), New Wolsey in Ipswich (6 – 7 Oct), Factory International’s Aviva Studios in Manchester (9 – 10 Oct) and Stratford East in London (13 – 14 Oct).
The full cast includes: Nadia Dawber (Majenin: A Palestinian Love Story – Edinburgh Fringe) as Lamma, James El-Sharawy (Around the World in 80 Days – The Barn Theatre) as Rayyan, Sama Rantisi (Tomorrow Will Be a Palestinian Day – Theatre 503) as Selma and Ghantus Wael (Much Ado About Nothing – Al-Kasaba Theatre) as President.
The Set and Costume Designer is Charlotte Espiner, the Lighting Designer is Imogen Clarke, the Sound Design is by Ed Lewis and the Composer is Sami El-Anany. Ahmed Masoud is a Palestinian and British writer, theatre maker, and academic. His plays include The Shroud Maker, Camouflage, Passports, Mo Salah, Jinn and Other Complicated Things; and his novels, Vanished: The Mysterious Disappearance of Mustafa Ouda and Come What May. Masoud is the founder of the Al Zaytouna Dance Company and PalArt Collective.
Cressida Brown directs. Her theatre credits include The Political History of Smack and Crack, England & Son (UK tour), Cutting the Tightrope: The Divorce of Politics from Arts (Arcola Theatre), Amphibians (Bridewell Theatre), Twelfth Night (RSC and Guangzhou Dramatic Arts Centre), Icarus, Septimus Bean and His Amazing Machine (Unicorn Theatre), Food (Finborough Theatre), Screens, Speaking Freely, Hotel Du Vin, The Words are Coming Now (Theatre503). Brown also created a documentary film titled Ruby Francis’ Nubian Songs, in association with the Bush Theatre.
Application 39 imagines ‘a Gaza risen from ruin, unexpectedly awarded the right to host the 2048 Olympic Games, exactly 100 years after the Nakba’. It is bold, irreverent, and rooted in lived testimony as well as speculative hope. For tickets and further information, please check out the tour website.
Production photographs (c)_ Tommy Ga-Ken-Wan
