British-Egyptian actor Khalid Abdalla is set to bring his powerful and politically charged one-man play, Nowhere, to Australian audiences as part of the Sydney Festival in January. The multimedia performance, which premiered in London earlier this year, is a deeply personal exploration of identity, belonging, and the weight of history in a post-9/11 world.
From The Crown to Centre Stage: Art as Activism
Best known to global audiences for his portrayal of Dodi Fayed in the final season of Netflix's The Crown, Abdalla saw that role as a rare opportunity to present a nuanced Arab character. "Dodi is one of the first Arab characters I can think of in the history of [western] film that you get to know and love, not fear," the actor reflected from his London home. His performance arrived amid a potent political moment; at the show's premiere in December 2023, Abdalla used the red carpet to call for a "permanent ceasefire" in Gaza, inscribing messages on his hands.
This act of protest foreshadowed the themes of Nowhere. The play interweaves Abdalla's own life—his Glasgow birth, London upbringing, and his family's history as leftist dissidents in Egypt—with seismic global events. These include western colonialism, the 9/11 attacks, the 2011 Arab Spring, and the ongoing Israel-Gaza war, which he describes as a "genocide livestreamed into our phones." Abdalla frequently revises the play's ending to reflect the latest developments in the conflict.
Confronting Censorship and Defending Protest
The production arrives in Australia against a backdrop of what Abdalla terms an "alarming rise in attempts to censor voices that stand up for Palestine." He speaks from direct experience. In March 2024, Abdalla was summoned for a police interview in the UK over his participation in a Palestine Solidarity Campaign protest. Although no further action was taken, the process lasted six months. "You live under its shadow and the intimidation for quite some time," he said, noting concerns about reputational harm for himself and his young family.
This personal encounter with state scrutiny powerfully connects to his family's political history. It also resonates with recent events in New South Wales, where, just days after a tragic shooting in Bondi, the state government passed new laws granting police controversial powers to ban street protests for up to three months.
An 'Anti-Biography' for a Global Audience
Beyond its urgent politics, Nowhere is a showcase for Abdalla's formidable theatrical skill, honed at the famed École Philippe Gaulier. Sydney Festival director Kris Nelson praised a moment where the actor "flips through all his accents, turning on a dime," revealing his technical prowess.
The play's title is drawn from former Prime Minister Theresa May's 2016 remark that "if you believe you are a citizen of the world, you are a citizen of nowhere." For Abdalla, this notion of "nowhere" has taken on a darker meaning in light of the Gaza war, reflecting a "lack of safe belonging." He describes the work as an "anti-biography," arguing that his identity has been shaped by the external gaze of being "an Arab in a post-9/11 world."
As he prepares for the Sydney run at the Roslyn Packer Theatre, Abdalla says the experience of the show is shaped by what audiences bring to it. He has been encouraged by the scale of pro-Palestine solidarity in Australia, such as the march across the Sydney Harbour Bridge. He views the current moment as critical, stating "here is where we set the ground for the journey of the next 10 years, so that it is truly the anti-apartheid civil rights movement of our time." For Abdalla, theatre remains a vital gathering space to explore these profound issues safely and meaningfully.
