Sami Abu Wardeh

Sami Abu Wardeh
سامي ابو وردة
Abu Wardeh at the 2025 Edinburgh Fringe Festival
BornMarch 1986 (age 39)
Kuwait
Years active2019–present

Sami Abu Wardeh (Arabic: سامي ابو وردة; born March 1986) is a Kuwait-born character comedian, writer and actor. He is known for his live comedy shows Bedu (2022) and Palestine: Peace de Resistance (2025), which he performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Early life

Abu Wardeh was born in Kuwait to a Palestinian Bedouin father and a Liverpool-born mother of Irish Catholic parentage. Through his mother, Abu Wardeh is a British citizen by birth.[1][2] Abu Wardeh was displaced from Kuwait by the Gulf War as a child and moved around growing up, living in nearly 20 places.[3] He began his medicine studies at a UK university in 2004.[4]

Career

In 2021, Abu Wardeh started working with the comedy duo Marina and Maddy, also known as Siblings. The pair recruited him for a joint show titled Sami & Siblings at their 2022 Brighton Fringe return.[5]

Abu Wardeh made his solo debut with his comedy show Bedu at the 2022 Edinburgh Fringe Festival.[6] Abu Wardeh described his comedy style as "character clowning", embodying a series of characters throughout the set, starting with a Palestinian refugee.[1] Brian Logan of The Guardian named Bedu one of the 10 best comedy shows of 2022.[7] In addition, Abu-Wardeh co-created the show Clownts, a competitive clown show, with Julia Masli, John-Luke Roberts and Viggo Venn. Abu Wardeh won the set.[8] Since 2022, Abu Wardeh has regularly participated in Arabs Are Not Funny!, a recurring comedy night.[9]

The following year, Abu Wardeh created and starred in the five-part Channel 4 digital sitcom The Sheikh, a satire about a wealthy Sheikh expatriating in Britain.[10] As a playwright, Abu Wardeh contributed to Cutting the Tightrope: The Divorce of Politics from Art, a 2024 collection of short plays written in response to censorship surrounding Palestine in the arts.[11]

Abu Wardeh returned to the 2025 Edinburgh Fringe with his second solo comedy show Palestine: Peace de Resistance,[12] which he described as "an hour of jokes, storytelling and clowning based on the history of anticolonial resistance".[13] The absurdist show follows a 1960s Palestinian character Merguez who meets an Algerian woman.[14] Palestine: Peace de Resistance won the Heart Award at the Besties Awards[15] and was shortlisted for Neurodiverse Review's ADHD Comedy Award.[16] Also at the Fringe in addition to dates in Newcastle and Glasgow, Abu Wardeh joined the line-up of Palestine Stands Up with Alaa Shehada, Diana Sweity and Hanna Shammas.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b Davies, Katy (21 August 2022). "Sami Abu-Wardeh talks character clowning – and this time, it's personal". Entertainmenr Focus. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
  2. ^ McCarthy, Sean L (14 August 2025). "Sami Abu Wardeh: "PALESTINE: PEACE DE RESISTANCE" at Edinburgh Fringe 2025". The Comics Comic. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
  3. ^ "Sami Abu Wardeh: "Laughter is restorative"". The Observer. 22 August 2025. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  4. ^ a b Richardson, Jay (12 July 2025). "Irish-Palestinian comedian Sami Abu Wardeh on his new Fringe show". The National. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
  5. ^ "Returning Award-Winners 2022". Brighton Fringe. 5 April 2022. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
  6. ^ Logan, Brian (21 August 2022). "Sami Abu Wardeh review – a clown in character-comic's clothing". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
  7. ^ Logan, Brian (17 December 2022). "The best comedy shows of 2022". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
  8. ^ Logan, Brian (10 July 2022). "Clownts review – three maestros compete in a celebration of anarchic hilarity". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  9. ^ "Things To Do This Week In London: 5-11 December 2022". Londonist. 5 December 2022. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
  10. ^ Richardson, Jay (31 January 2023). "Sami Abu Wardeh lands Channel 4 satire on the super-rich, The Sheikh". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
  11. ^ Brown, Cressida (4 December 2024). "Political censorship in theatre has gone too far – especially on Palestinian art. Here's why". Big Issue. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
  12. ^ Logan, Brian (5 August 2025). "Palestine: Peace de Resistance review – an absurdist response to an abominable situation". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
  13. ^ "Sami Abu Wardeh's hilarious take on resistance and identity". Corr Blimey. 17 July 2025. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
  14. ^ Hopkins, Sarah (12 August 2025). "Sami Abu Wardeh @ Pleasance Dome". The Skinny. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
  15. ^ Saeed, Saeed (18 August 2025). "Palestinian artists Alaa Shehada and Sami Abu Wardeh win awards at Edinburgh Fringe". The National. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  16. ^ "Neurodiverse Review announces 2025 award nominees". Chortle. 19 August 2025. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
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