The British Council is proud to be collaborating with FUEL Theatre to bring Nowhere, an intricate and playful solo show by actor and activist Khalid Abdalla, to Australian audiences in January 2026.
Known for his roles in United 93, The Kite Runner and The Crown, Abdalla takes audiences on a surprising journey into his own history, set against a cartography of seismic world events. From the histories of colonialism and decolonisation; friendship and loss; protests and uprising against regimes across the world; to the violence in Gaza following the events of October 7th 2023, Khalid brings together the personal and the political in an act of anti-biography that asks how we got here and how we find agency amidst the mazes of history.
Directed by Omar Elerian with choreography by Omar Rajeh, the production features an exceptional creative team including designer Ti Green, video designer Sarah Readman, lighting designer Jackie Shemesh and sound designer Panos Chountoulidis. Commissioned and produced by UK company Fuel – the team behind Inua Ellams’, The Barber Shop Chronicles – Nowhere was originally funded by Arts Council England and CVC, with original support from Battersea Arts Centre.
Khalid Abdalla joins several exceptional UK based artists featured at Sydney Festival 2026, including performance artist Travis Alabanza with the award-winning BURGERZ and dancer-choreographer Dan Daw with EXXY. The British Council has collaborated with both artists over the past few years and is delighted to see their work return to Australian stages. Alabanza's BURGERZ was featured in the British Council's Edinburgh Showcase in 2019, they led Tranz Talks as part of the UK/Australia Season during Midsumma Festival and their work Overflow was staged at the Darlinghurst Theatre Company in 2022, where they delivered playwriting masterclasses and panel discussions on gender. Dan Daw was also part of the UK/Australia Season during Undercover Artist Festival participating in online panels, and post Covid was able to perform The Dan Daw Show at Sydney WorldPride 2023 and RISING Festival in Melbourne.
Sydney Festival's music programme also features UK artists DJ-producer Nooriyah, singer-songwriter Paris Paloma and South London trailblazer Raf-Saperra. We're thrilled to see such vibrant British creativity represented at one of Australia's most celebrated cultural events.
Nowhere is at Roslyn Packer Theatre, Walsh Bay from 8–25 January 2026.
Find our more and book tickets here.