Majenin - a Palestinian love story is a three-hander written and performed by Marena Riyad, alongside two other Palestinian actors. Majenin is an Arabic word meaning ‘crazy people’, and this story is about the madness of love that occupies oneself once you surrender to it. It is an intimate love story unfolding between London and New York. Blending theatre and stand-up, the piece moves from romantic realism to psychological interiority, bookended with stand-up comedy routines, with the protagonist split between her outer self and her inner ‘lover girl’ narrator. The audience will witness both her surrender to love and the self-awareness of her unravelling in real time.

In tone, it's similar to Before Sunrise and the confessional sharpness of Fleabag, drawing on the mythological Arabic storytelling of Layla and Majnun.

Previews will take place in London, and will premiere at the Edinburgh Fringe 2026.

Written by: Marena Riyad
Directed by: Justin Butcher