Written By: Mark Armstrong
Mark Thomas returns to Liverpool for three nights to showcase comedy from the heart of Gaza
Stand-up comedian Mark Thomas returns to Liverpool from March 8-10 with a comedy show directly from a Palestinian refugee camp called Showtime from the Frontline.
Following previous shows Trespass and The Red Shed that both visited Liverpool in 2016, Mark brings his political and satirical comedy back to the Playhouse, alongside two aspiring comedians from Thomas’ comedy club based in Gaza.
Dodging cultural and literal bullets, Israeli incursions and religion, Mark and his team set out to run a comedy club and put on two nights in Jenin in the West Bank, only to find that it is not so simple to celebrate freedom of speech in a place with so little freedom.
Jenin refugee camp, a stronghold for the al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade during the Second Intifada, is not a place synonymous with laughs. But it is also home to the Jenin Freedom Theatre and to people with a wealth of stories to tell.
Known for his human-rights activism, Mark tells this story alongside Faisal Abu Alhayjaa and Alaa Shehada, two performers, actors and now aspiring comics from the Jenin Club. This is a story about being yourself in a place that wants to put you in a box. Funny, moving and necessary.
Mark, Faisal and Alaa will perform in cities across the UK as part of their UK, and they visit the Playhouse for three performances in March. Tickets are on sale now by calling the Playhouse Box Office on 0151 709 4776 or by visiting www.everymanplayhouse.com/whats-on/mark-thomas-showtime-from-the-frontline.