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Read all the biographies for the cast & creatives of Application 39…
CAST
Nadia Dawber, LAMMA
Nadia was born in Nazareth and is of Palestinian, British and German heritage.
Theatre includes: full Edinburgh Fringe 2026 run of Majenin: A Palestinian Love Story. Other recent theatre credits include Antigone, Valhalla, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and As You Like It.
Film & TV includes: Underground winner of Best First-Time Feature at Boden International Film Festival; PYRE; Nadia will play Aaliyah in upcoming short film My Love, Jenin, currently in pre-production supported by award-winning Philistine Films (Palestine), BLEAT Post-Production (UK) and FEST (Portugal).
James El-Saharwy, RAYYAN
James trained at Rose Bruford College.
Theatre includes: Around the World in 80 Days (The Barn Theatre) Border Control (The Vaults) The Response (The Seagull Theatre/Soho Theatre), I Have two Names (Richmix), Cry Havoc (Park Theatre), Camouflage (Amnesty International) The Fifth Column (Southwark Playhouse), Scattered (Theatr Clwyd/Good Chance Theatre, Calais), The Cutting of the Cloth (Southwark Playhouse), Walaa (The New Diorama/ St Martin in the Fields),
Film & TV includes: Jesus Crown of Thorns, (Nutopia), Don’t go in the Garden, (Shout Loud Productions), Cuttlefish, (Flavourworks), Ghanimah (Media Worx), EastEnders(BBC), Doctors (BBC), Tyrant Season 3 (FX), Headcleaner (Studio Hansa), Evidence of Existence (Filmmaker at Large)
Sama Rantisi, SELMA
Sama is a Palestinian actress, writer, and theatre-maker based in London. Her work focuses on political theatre and storytelling that explores identity and resistance.
Theatre includes: Tomorrow Will Be a Palestinian Day (Theatre 503); Welcome to Gaza (by Peter Oswald, Terminal 1 at Glastonbury Festival); Wipe These Tears (BÉZNĂ Theatre).
She is also the creator and lead artist of QUA (Strength), an Arts Council England and Bertha Artivism Award-funded project inspired by the writings of her late father, Palestinian journalist Samir Rantisi.
Alongside her artistic practice, Sama recently completed an MA in Linguistics at Queen Mary University of London, where her research focused on language, identity, and representation in Palestine.
Ghantus Wael, PRESIDENT
Born in Sakhnin, Galilee, Ghantus is a trained Contemporary and Latin dancer, now based in London. He trained at the Drama Academy, Ramallah, and Folkwang University of the Arts, Essen (BA Acting and Performing Arts, 2016), followed by Drama Road, Diploma Studies (Rasha Shurbatji).
Theatre includes: The Siege (The Freedom Theatre, dir. Nabil Al-Raee & Zoe Lafferty, touring to Skirball Theatre, New York); The Wedding by Stanisław Wyspiański (Gardzienice Theatre, dir. Wlodzimierz Staniewski); The Golden Fish (Al-Kasaba Theatre, dir. George Ibrahim); Much Ado About Nothing (Al-Kasaba Theatre, dir. Taoufik El Ayeb); Rumpelstiltskin (Al-Kasaba Theatre, dir. George Ibrahim); and The Seagull/Jonathan Livingston (dir. Nilou Safinya & Faisal Abu Alhayjaa The Freedom Theatre).
Film & TV includes: Salma w Sari (dir. Pietro Bellorini); Nima w Fadel (Ma’an TV, dir. Rifat Adi); and The Crossing (Odeh Films, dir. Ameen Nayfeh).
We’re very happy to announce casting for the UK tour of Application 39 alongside Matthew Schmolle Productions and Stratford East. A sharply satirical, future-facing drama by Palestinian writer Ahmed Masoud, directed by Cressida Brown, Application 39 opens at Bristol Old Vic (23 – 26 Sep) before touring to 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) .
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.
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.