Palestine Comedy Club
Tuesday 17th February, 2026 at 6pm (UK)
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The Horse of Jenin was the breakout hit at the Edinburgh Festival — five stars from The Guardian: “a funny, haunting coming-of-age tale of boyhood in occupied Palestine.” Meet Alaa Shehada, the writer, actor, comedian and performer of The Horse of Jenin and co-founder of the Palestine Comedy Club.

Alaa was a graduate of the Jenin Freedom Theatre acting school, and while The Horse of Jenin has hit the critical heights, the Freedom Theatre is shuttered and closed and Alaa continues to face major challenges in performing this work.

Alaa Shehada and producer Charlotte Knowles will join us to talk about the Comedy Club, the success of The Horse of Jenin and the difficulties they’ve faced — not least in taking it to the US — and the situation in Jenin today.

“A funny, haunting coming-of-age tale of boyhood in occupied Palestine.” ***** The Guardian

About our guests
Alaa Shehada — comedian and actor

Alaa Shehada (pictured above) is an award-winning performer and comedian from Palestine. A graduate of The Freedom Theatre Acting School in Jenin Refugee Camp and co-founder of the Palestine Comedy Club, Alaa has developed a platform for Palestinian comedians to share their stories, humour and culture. He is a Clown Doctor with Red Noses International in the West Bank.

Alaa’s solo show The Horse of Jenin received five-star reviews from The Guardian and earned him a prestigious Fringe First award at the 2025 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. It’s a careful blend of theatre, physical comedy, stand-up and mask work.

Charlotte Knowles

Charlotte Knowles is a BIFA-nominated Breakthrough Producer and executive with a deep commitment to storytelling that challenges, entertains and inspires. With over a decade of experience across film, television and immersive media, her work has screened on the BBC, ITN, Arte and at major festivals including Cannes Marché du Film. Her credits include the BAFTA Scotland and BIFA-nominated Rebel Dykes (Channel 4), The Medallion (The New Yorker) and Palestine Comedy Club, which screened at SXSW London, DOC NYC and IDFA.

Charlotte is the founder of Tough Crowd, a creative studio combining bold storytelling and digital technology to engage global audiences across traditional and emerging media platforms. Under the Tough Crowd banner, Charlotte also launched Creative HQ, a business accelerator for media entrepreneurs providing producers with investment and structural support to grow high-performing production companies.

As a TEDx speaker, guest lecturer at University of the Arts London and former CEO of the Independent Film Trust, Charlotte’s role as a leader in creative talent development is well documented by UK and US press and has led to lasting initiatives with the BBC, BFI and Sony Pictures.