2077: The Palestinian play looking beyond occupation to imagine a future of technological control

How many of us have thought as far ahead as the year 2077? In an age of climate-emergency-linked catastrophe, unbridled AI development, and drastic bio-optimisation, perhaps the future in its bleakest form is already hurtling towards us, faster than thought.

As such, the backdrop for the play 2077: Who Wants to Survive, running as part of this year’s PalArt Festival of Palestinian arts and culture, will sound familiarly dark, inspired by a dystopian present and near-future in Palestine and elsewhere.

In 2077, ordinary people are held prisoner in walled enclaves in which they face poverty, disease, and hunger, while elites pursue biotechnical perfection and immortality.

Here, private detective Harold Harrison, played by Palestinian actor Emile Saba, makes some disturbing discoveries.

First performed in Germany in 2021, a year that already feels technologically like aeons ago, 2077 was written by Palestinian playwright Bayan Shbib and co-produced by Ashtar Theatre, where Emile is now Artistic Director, and Germany-based arts organisation Bridgeworks.

"I really liked the idea of the play from the beginning. It felt new and fresh," Emile tells The New Arab.

"At the time, AI wasn’t as present in our everyday lives as it is now. Of course, we had all grown up watching films and imagining artificial intelligence through movies like Blade Runner and The Matrix, but I hadn’t really seen those ideas explored in theatre, especially not in Palestinian or Arab theatre," he explains.

Beyond the lens of occupation

Palestine has long been used as a site of experimentation for some of dystopia’s darkest tools, and has been used to test new kinds of weaponry, surveillance, and biometrics-led security, primed for use elsewhere at the cost of Palestinian life.

For many in the audience, 2077’s walled enclaves and oppressive living conditions will scream Palestine – but the country is never explicitly mentioned in the play.

"There are many similarities, but we are not trying to make it a like-for-like representation of Palestine," Emile says of the world created in 2077.

"One of the most interesting comments I received was from people who said: 'We didn’t hear Palestine in the play, but you are Palestinian, and we can see the parallels'," Emile recalls.

"I think that is very meaningful, because sometimes people look for Palestinian identity in a very direct way when they watch Palestinian theatre or see a Palestinian actor. But when the connection isn’t obvious, it can sometimes be even more interesting. It allows people to think beyond the expected images and discover the deeper connections between the story, our reality, and the wider world," Emile adds.

"Sometimes there is an expectation that Palestinian theatre will always speak about Palestine through the traditional lens of occupation, conflict, or our direct political reality. But this play goes beyond that. It deals with a global topic that anyone, regardless of nationality or background, can connect with," he continues.

A stage without borders

Ashtar Theatre, established in 1991 in Jerusalem before moving to its current base in Ramallah four years later, is one of several Palestine-based theatre companies whose productions are being staged at PalArt Festival, which runs from 23 September to 3 October.

"One of the things that distinguishes Ashtar is that we are a very critical theatre," Emile explains.

"We raise social and political questions that are not always welcomed by people in positions of power, regardless of which side they are on.

"We don’t necessarily echo a mainstream ideology or the political ideology of any particular party. That often puts us on the margins – sometimes we feel like the black sheep. But we actually see that as one of our strengths. It gives us the freedom to question, to challenge, and to remain critical," he adds.

Ashtar’s critical nature extends from the stage to its administration, with the theatre giving up some of its much-needed funding since the start of the genocide, Emile says.

"Since the war on Gaza, Ashtar was one of the first theatres to boycott some funders that we felt were complicit in the genocide or unwilling to speak up for the Palestinian people. That pushed us to look for other resources and develop new fundraising methods," he adds.

"In some ways, this has been positive because it forced us to discover new channels and become more creative and independent in how we raise resources, but it has not been easy."

Despite this and other adversity the theatre has faced, Ashtar is refusing containment. They have almost finished building themselves a new home in Birzeit, near Ramallah, and hope to start an academy programme next year in collaboration with the Palestinian Circus School, to formally train students in the performing and circus arts.

The theatre also intends to keep putting on a breadth of genres and forms, reflecting the diverse tastes of theatregoers in Palestine.

"Audiences are very open to different theatrical forms. It can be physical theatre, text-based theatre, fantasy, or something more experimental. I don’t think the Palestinian audience is limited in terms of the style of theatre they are willing to see," Emile says.

"The subject is what is always very important. What is the play trying to say? Does it speak to something that people are experiencing, questioning, or feeling? I think that remains one of the most important things for Palestinian audiences," he continues.

A dystopia built from reality

Ashtar’s creative risk with a dystopian sci-fi like 2077 has been rewarded, with the play winning the Jury’s Award for Most Exceptional Performance at the Cairo International Festival in 2023 – a sign that the play’s message and warning translate internationally.

"The world of the play… is built from things that already exist around us: systems of control, surveillance, separation, and the increasing power of technology over our lives. The question is not only what machines can do, but what happens when we allow them to make decisions about human lives," Emile says.

"I see the play as a reflection of our current reality and a warning about a possible future. It is almost saying: if we don’t question the way we use technology and the way power is distributed, machines may not only serve humans – they may eventually begin to control them."

2077: Who Wants to Survive runs on 2 and 3 October as part of PalArt Festival 2026 at the Pleasance Theatre in north London

Shahla Omar is a freelance journalist based in London

Follow her on Instagram: @shahlatan