ETT (English Touring Theatre), Matthew Schmolle Productions and Stratford East have announced the full UK tour for Application 39, a new play by Palestinian writer Ahmed Masoud.
Directed by Cressida Brown, the production opens at Bristol Old Vic from 23 to 26 September 2026, with a press performance on 24 September, before touring to Northern Stage in Newcastle, New Wolsey in Ipswich, Factory International’s Aviva Studios in Manchester and Stratford East in London.
Application 39 imagines a future Gaza that has risen from ruin and unexpectedly secured the right to host the 2048 Olympic Games, exactly 100 years after the Nakba. Combining satire, speculation and real-life testimony, the play explores themes of occupation, bureaucracy, reconstruction and hope.
The story follows two young IT workers in Gaza’s municipality who hack the Olympic bid process as a prank and unexpectedly win. Their success sparks a surreal journey that asks what Gaza might become if it were transformed into a site of global gathering, resistance and renewal.
Ahmed Masoud said: “My play is going on tour in the UK in September.
“If I closed my eyes and imagined young me growing up in Jabalia Camp, North of Gaza, saying the above sentence, I am sure people around me would just burst in laughter. How could I even imagine the possibility of my play touring from one place to the other when I, my family and people couldn’t.
“But this is the power of theatre and stories, it connects all on a small stage. It builds worlds for all of us where you can imagine possibility. Now I can say my play has already been to the future and heading on UK tour.
“I am pleased to see Application 39 going on a journey across multiple venues. I am humbled that so many of you will embark on a journey into the future to see what Gaza might look like and what possibilities we have ahead of us.
“I am grateful for your presence, the producers, the creative team and everyone who has made this possible.”
Lisa Spirling, Artistic Director of Stratford East, said: “We’re delighted to be co-producing Application 39 with ETT and Matthew Schmolle Productions and to welcome this bold play by Ahmed Masoud to Stratford East. Supporting ambitious new writing and bringing vital contemporary stories to our audiences is central to our programme, and we’re excited to share Application 39 with our communities as part of our season.”
Richard Twyman, Artistic Director, and Sophie Scull, Executive Director of English Touring Theatre, said: “Application 39 is exactly the kind of work we should be taking across the country: imaginative, funny and urgent, with the power to make us look at the present differently by imagining what might be possible in the future. Ahmed has written a remarkable play that brings together humour, humanity and a fierce sense of possibility, while never losing sight of the realities from which it emerges.”
Producer Matthew Schmolle added: “Following 2025’s ‘Cutting The Tightrope’ at the Arcola and Edinburgh International Festival, I’m unbelievably excited to work with Cressida and Ahmed again on Application 39, a piece of work for our national stages that could not be more urgent or timely. Enormous thanks to TRSE, ETT, Arts Council England and our touring venues for being brave and making this possible.”
The creative team includes set and costume designer Charlotte Espiner, lighting designer Imogen Clarke, sound designer Ed Lewis and composer Sami El-Anany. Casting for the production is yet to be announced.
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
