CANCELED: The Horse of Jenin By Alaa Shehada, A Troupe Courage Production
The Fine Arts Center is deeply disappointed to announce the cancellation of our presentation of Alaa Shehada's The Horse of Jenin. Mr. Shehada is unable to perform. We are working with artist management in hope of arranging a performance — either in person or virtual — at a later date. We look forward to having an opportunity to bring this powerful event to our patrons in the future.
In our fiftieth anniversary season, the Fine Arts Center celebrates the arts as a sustaining force in the lives of individuals and peoples from across the globe.
Alaa Shehada’s "The Horse of Jenin" is a powerful example of art that sustains. Shehada is an actor and comedian who was educated in Jenin, Palestine at The Freedom Theatre Acting School, a company nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in February 2024. He is a co-founder of The Palestine Comedy Club, a core member of Troupe Courage in Amsterdam, and a clown doctor with Red Noses International.
Built from the debris of a major invasion, the Horse of Jenin sculpture became a constant presence in Shehada’s life as he grew up in occupied Palestine.
It stood proudly in the center of the city for twenty years, symbolizing hope and resistance. Then, on October 29, 2023, an Israeli bulldozer entered the city, ripping the sculpture from its place — and from its people. Now, Shehada is left to wonder, what happened to the horse? Constructed from fragments of Shehada’s memories, The Horse of Jenin is an entertaining, engaging, and humorous ode to the power of imagination and the resilience it inspires.
The Horse of Jenin is a part of the Fine Arts Center's Asian and Asian American Arts and Culture Program and Codemakers series.