Long time friend and supporter of the FBU, comedian, activist and author, Mark Thomas, will be touring a new show in 2018, including an exclusive gig for FBU members.
In 2009 Mark Thomas walked the entire length of the Israeli separation barrier in the West Bank. His subsequent book, Extreme Rambling, sold 50,000 copies and the live show, Walking the Wall, toured the UK, Ireland and Australia before returning to the West Bank.
Mark has had an association with the Jenin Freedom Theatre (JFT) in Palestine since then and it is this partnership that forms the basis of his new project. Showtime from the Frontline will tell the story of how Mark and his team set out to run a comedy club for two nights in Jenin. Only to find it’s not so simple to celebrate freedom of speech in a place with so little freedom.
The JFT is not a typical theatre. A small compound within the confines of a refugee camp, JFT was established in 2006 as an antidote to the brutal oppression of the Israeli forces and its regular incursions into the camp. It has managed to train three classes of young actors despite the occupation and the assassination of its founder Juliano Mer Khamis in 2011.
Working alongside Sam Beale, senior lecturer in comedy at Middlesex University, Mark spent a month running comedy workshops with students and kids from the camp. The results produced two remarkable nights of performances and a portrait of life in a refugee camp under occupation that is not normally seen or heard.
The show features two graduates of the JFT’s acting programme and aspiring comics, Faisal Abualheja and Alaa Shehada and is directed by Joe Douglas. It tours the UK from February to April 2018.
Mark and the FBU have had a long-term relationship of mutual support and solidarity. It is for this reason that Mark is putting on a special performance of Showtime from the Frontline for FBU members, family, friends and supporters. This will be on Friday 2 February at Toynbee Studios, 28 Commercial Street, London, E1 6AB, at 7.30pm. Tickets are free – email [email protected] to reserve.
For UK tour dates, check http://www.markthomasinfo.co.uk/tour-dates/ - there are special ticket deals for FBU members at some venues. Email [email protected] for details.
CAN'T MAKE IT TO LONDON?
Mark and his team have worked with the venues across the UK to make special ticket offers available to FBU members. These vary from venue to venue and there are varying numbers of discounted tickets available. Please check this list before booking. Where there is a limited number of discount tickets it will be on a first come, first served basis. These tickets are for the main tour – there are warm-up dates at other venues, so please check the full list here: http://www.markthomasinfo.co.uk/tour-dates/
Bristol Old Vic
Ticket price: £16
Availability: 10 discounted tickets for FBU members
Use the appropriate code: STFL16FBU
Edinburgh Traverse
Ticket price: £15
Availability: unlimited
Proof of membership required at collection
Sherman Theatre Cardiff
Ticket price: £15
Availability: 20 tickets for FBU members
Use the code: 'Showtime'
MAC Birmingham
Ticket price: £15
Availability: 10 tickets for FBU members
Use the code: MTFBU
Belfast MAC
Ticket price: £2 discount
Availability: 20 tickets for FBU members
Use the code: FBU
Playhouse Theatre Liverpool
Ticket price: £15
Availability: unlimited
Use the code: FBU when booking online, on the phone or in person
Lowry Quays Theatre Salford
Ticket price: £15
Availability: unlimited
Use the code: ‘UNION’ when booking online or over the phone
West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds
Ticket price: £15
Availability: unlimited
Use the code: ‘Freedom’ prior to checkout
The Tron, Glasgow
Ticket price: £15
Availability: 10 tickets for FBU members
Use the code: ‘Frontline 17’
The Dukes, Lancaster
Ticket price: £15 tickets
Availability: unlimited
Use the code: ‘TU Supporters’ booking on the phone or in person
The Gala Theatre, Durham
Ticket price: £15
Availability: 50 tickets for FBU members
Use the code: FBUSFTF
The Gulbenkian, Canterbury
Ticket price: £15
Availability: unlimited
Use the code: FBU at checkout- online booking only
The Stables, Milton Keynes
Ticket price: £15
Availability: 10 tickets for FBU members
Call the box office to book
The Junction, Cambridge
Ticket price: £15
Availability: 10 tickets for FBU members
Use the code: FBU18
Theatre Royal Stratford East, London
Ticket price: £15
Availability: unlimited
Use the code: FBU
Time limited – book by 28 February to get discount price (usually £24!)
