A sharply satirical, future‑facing drama by Palestinian writer Ahmed Masoud, 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.
“This is more than just theatre. It is art, activism, political resistance and storytelling — painful, joyous, elemental and essential.” – The Guardian
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. Application 39 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?
An ETT, Matthew Schmolle Productions and Stratford East Co-Production.
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