Application 39, written by Ahmed Masoud and directed by Cressida Brown, is on at Aviva Studios in Manchester for a 2-night run. The handout describes it as sharply satirical, and Ahmed invites us to listen to its humour and pain. I think it’s fair to say that there isn’t much of the former, but rather a lot of the latter. The play is based on his earlier short story, with real life testaments voiced through the 4 actors.
The year is 2040 and two hackers, Selma and Rayyan (Sama Rantisi and James El-Sharawy) have penetrated the International Olympic Committee’s systems to put in a bid to host the games in 2048, the anniversary of the 1948 Nakba. What starts as a prank ends up with Gaza having the winning bid, but, as Israel now controls the entire territory this isn’t going to be easy.
At the start we are in an uneasy ceasefire imposed by Israel in which any violation is met with force, and we flashback to how our two hackers meet when they are literally thrown together after their houses are bombed and they’re buried under rubble. Somehow, they manage to free themselves and the descriptions of trying to reach the hospital are terrible. Even more so when the last doctor there is taken prisoner.
Back in the present they meet Lamma (Nadia Dawber) the deputy president and then the president himself (Ghantus Wael). Fantastical ideas on how the games might be implemented ensue, and the discussions suggest that although there have been historical wrongs they can be overcome if there is the will, not just politically, on both sides.
There are other flashbacks, and I confess I found the timeline confusing, but there are more harrowing scenes where women and children are fleeing, Rayyan is interrogated, and there are huge marches, culminating in a roaring crescendo of “Free Palestine”.
All four performers acquit themselves well, which can’t be easy when half the time the words expressed are the verbatim testimony of someone who might no longer be alive. James El-Sharawy and Sama Rantisi give convincing performances within a complex narrative as well as performing multiple roles. Along with Nadia Dawber as Lama and Ghantus Wael swaggering as the President the characters conveyed the dilemmas in the overall story.
The conflict in Palestine is a contentious subject and Application 39 meets the issues head on. The play takes the lid off Pandora’s box, and when all the vileness has been released, there is only one thing left. Hope.
There is a final performance on October 10.
Paul Schofield for Canal Street Media