Ahmed Masoud’s play, Application 39, has opened its UK tour at the Bristol Old Vic’s Weston Studio, bringing a dark comedy lens to the unthinkable. The play is set in 2048, exactly a century after the Nakba, and explores a future where Gaza has risen from rubble and siege to host the 39th Summer Olympic Games.
The premise is based on an intentional IT prank by two municipal workers, Rayyan and Lamma, who hack the International Olympic Committee’s database and swap out a French bid. This sets off a whirlwind of bureaucratic chaos, international attention, and infrastructural madness, haunted by the demons of a recent genocide.
Speculative Fiction and Lived Testimony
Application 39 masterfully pairs speculative fiction with the devastating weight of lived testimony, creating a biting and future-facing dark comedy. The play’s writing shines brightest in its irreverence, utilizing its swift 60-minute runtime to spin a political crisis into a playground for sharp satire.
The heart of the piece is carried by the chemistry between James El-Sharawy and Nadia Dawber, grounding the surreal plot in the frantic panic of ordinary people caught in a global geopolitical trap. Alongside them, Sama Rantisi’s Selma and Ghantus Wael’s caricature of the President offer excellent comic timing while ensuring the production never loses its teeth.
Direction and Set Design
Director Cressida Brown keeps the pacing breathless, leaning heavily into the claustrophobia of the Weston Studio to amplify the pressures of building Olympic stadiums amidst ongoing systemic blockades. The set design effectively bridges the gap between digital farce and physical ruin, with clever use of sand.
The laugh-out-loud comedy is carefully juxtaposed against real-life testimonies, reminding the audience that beneath the satire lies a deeply serious inquiry into resistance, survival, and international complacency. However, the play’s lightning-fast runtime occasionally forces the narrative to skim over the logistical mechanics of its own world-building.
Thematic Ambition and Emotional Resonance
Despite this, Application 39 makes up for it in thematic ambition and sheer emotional resonance. The play is a vital exercise in radical imagination, refusing to allow Gaza’s future to be written solely by its oppressors. By doing so, Masoud delivers an essential piece of political theatre that manages to leave its audience both deeply uncomfortable and defiantly hopeful.
Application 39 is at The Weston Studio, Bristol Old Vic, until September 26. Visit bristololdvic.org.uk for tickets. The play’s impact shows the power of theatre to challenge and inspire, and its exploration of Gaza’s future is a necessary and timely one. Ahmed Masoud’s work has created a play that challenges the status quo and inspires its audience to think about the future of Gaza.