A co-production with Crowded Fire Theater, in partnership with Art2Action
A Festival of Palestinian Art
Uplifting Palestinian voices and stories in theater, film, and stand-up comedy
Building upon Golden Thread’s decades-long commitment to Palestinian art, this unique festival is co-produced with Crowded Fire. Events are supported by Art2Action as part of a multi-year partnership with Golden Thread on Protecting Dissent, uplifting and centering voices for Palestine.
April 9, 2026 - April 19, 2026
Potrero Stage
1695 18th Street, San Francisco, CA 94107
Golden Thread Artistic Director Nabra Nelson says: “As the genocide continues in Palestine, it is a radical act of resistance to center Palestinian laughter and joy through this festival. Comedy is a powerful way to bring communities together, to cope with tragic circumstances, and to access some much-needed healing. The dynamism of this festival reflects the diversity of Palestinian art through three very different yet equally exciting offerings.”
FESTIVAL LINE-UP
Thu, Apr 9 & 16 at 8pm
The Horse of Jenin: Film Screening
written and performed by Alaa Shehada
directed by Katrien van Beurden and Thomas van Ouwerkerk
A Troupe Courage Production
Screening produced by 55B Productions / Jenny Tibbels
Built from the debris of a major invasion, the Horse of Jenin sculpture became a constant presence in Alaa’s life growing 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, Alaa is left wondering… What happened to the horse? This filmed version of Shehada’s brilliant solo show combines storytelling, mask, and stand-up comedy, and stands as an ode to the power of imagination and the resilience it brings.
Fri, Apr 10 & Sat, Apr 11 at 8pm; Sun, Apr 12 at 3pm
A Country Made of Salt: New Threads Staged Reading
by Denmo Ibrahim
directed by Nabra Nelson
A baker, a mystic, and a falcon walk into an office one stormy night… Rabia Haddad is on a mission to discover a lost history. But as she builds her map, the archive begins to talk back, blurring the lines between testimony, memory and myth. Could it be that the one story she needs most is her own? A play about inheritance, letting go, and the desire to belong to something larger than yourself, A Country Made of Salt invites us to reflect on the stories we keep — and what stories keep us.
Fri, Apr 17 & Sat, Apr 18 at 8pm; Sun, Apr 19 at 3pm
AMREEKA 2026: The Comedy Show
Curated by Wafaa Bilal and featuring an all-Palestinian line-up with headliner Suzie Afridi, comedians Majdy Fares and Lana Salah, with Charles McBee as MC
Back by popular demand after a sold-out run in 2023, AMREEKA 2026: The Comedy Show is a raucous night of stand-up comedy, this year featuring an all-Palestinian lineup! This unique show brings together comedians with one thing in common: a deep love of complaining. The toxic culture and politics in “Amreeka,” as some Middle Easterners playfully pronounce it, offer ample fodder for further complaints. This cathartic and witty venting holds a mirror up to reality showing it has become so absurd and surreal, one must laugh, if not cry.
For Iraqi artist Wafaa Bilal, the show, just like his solo works, “is an artistic platform for creating dialogue and bringing people together on highly charged topics. Not politicizing laughter but laughing at politics as a form of solidarity and resistance.”