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SHARIF - شريف
By Tomer Aldubi
Developed and Produced by Dirty Laundry Theatre Company
February 16 – 17, 2027
workshop reading
Presented by Voices Festival Productions
Ari Roth, Founding Artistic Producing Partner
A. Lorraine Robinson, Artistic Producing Partner
Full Cast/Crew Details
SHARIF - شريف
Sharif - شريف is a staged reading of a gripping and deeply moving new drama about the precarious lives of LGBTQ+ Palestinians.
The play follows Sharif, a young queer Palestinian man living in the West Bank who dreams of becoming a writer. But when his sexuality is exposed, he finds himself caught in a web of suspicion and impossible choices. Branded a potential collaborator of Israel, he is forced to flee, leaving behind his family, his first love, and the future he imagined for himself.
Alone, with nowhere else to go, Sharif seeks safety in Israel—a place of both refuge and threat—where he must navigate military bureaucracy, legal limbo, and discrimination while trying to hold onto his identity, dignity, and hope. The play moves between memory and present-day storytelling to explore themes of resilience, displacement, and belonging.
Sharif brings to life one man's struggle for survival, his longing for love, and the quiet courage it takes to endure in the face of constant uncertainty. Based on real testimonies, the play shines a rare light on the lived experiences of LGBTQ+ Palestinians living under occupation in the West Bank.
Heartbreaking, urgent, and ultimately hopeful, Sharif is a call for empathy, justice, and human dignity.
Written by Israeli playwright Tomer Aldubi, who worked closely with a Palestinian dramaturg throughout the development process, the play is performed in English with Arabic and Hebrew interwoven. It offers an intimate, human perspective on lives too often flattened by politics.
This staged reading will be followed by a post-show conversation with the creative team.