Return to Palestine

The Arts Council of Ireland

Director: Micaela Miranda

Actors: Alaa Shehadeh, Ameena Adileh, Gráinnemir Abu Alro, Mahmoud Fathi Raja Tawafsha, Osama Alazzeh, Maryam Abu Khaled

Musicians: Saied Silbak, Nuno Brito

Producer: Marcela Parducci

Executive Producer: Grace Dyas

Micaela Miranda is a director, theatre maker, movement specialist practitioner and teacher. Currently the Head of Movement at LAMDA, Micaela has extensive experience in challenging actors in their physical storytelling and transformation for the stage and screen. As an artist, Micaela is a physically driven director, movement director and an associate of the International mask company Troupe Courage and The Freedom Theatre in Palestine. Between 2008 and 2017, Micaela was the director of The Freedom Theatre School that offered the first professional actor training in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Micaela directs plays that are inherently embodied, political and tell stories of human condition. Her passion lies in supporting voices that are currently dehumanised and tell their stories with virtuosic skill to create impact. Micaela truly believes in the power of theatre and film to make a change in the world wide subconscious and she uses her technical and artistic skills to serve positive radical transformation of the world.

Maryam Abu Khaled (born 1991, Nazareth, Palestine) is a Palestinian actress and performer, raised in Jenin, West Bank. Maryam discovered her passion for acting at the age of 15 and completed her training at the Freedom Theatre in the Jenin refugee camp. She has worked in theatre and film, performing across Europe, the United States, and Palestine. Fluent in Arabic and proficient in English and German, Maryam has demonstrated her range across dramatic and comedic roles. Since 2016, she has been a member of the Gorki Theatre Ensemble in Berlin, where she continues to perform and connect with diverse audiences.

Alaa Shehada is a Palestinian actor and comedian from Jenin. He is Edinburgh Fringe first winner 2025 with his show The Horse of Jenin. He trainned at The Freedom Theatre acting school. He is the co-funder and artsistic director of Palestinian Comedy Club, a platform for Palestinian comedians to share humour, culture and stories with global audiences.

Gráinnemir Amir Abualrob is a Queer Palestinian actor and educator based in Dublin. They graduated from The Freedom Theatre (TFT) after four years of studying Theatre and Cultural Resistance. Since moving to Ireland, they have continued this work alongside their collaborator Sorcha Fox, focusing on using art to confront oppression in all its forms. Their recent achievements include curating an event on “Belonging” for the St. Patrick’s Festival in partnership with GOAL Ireland, performing the lead in Prisoners of the Occupation at Smock Alley, and a 5-star reviewed run of Return to Palestine at the PalArts Festival in London.