Fuel Theatre presents

Nowhere

Part of: Theatre 2: Autumn 2024

“Welcome to Nowhere. I’m going to share with you how I got here… And what ‘here’ actually means to me”

Written and performed by Khalid Abdalla
Directed by Omar Elerian

In this intricate and playful solo show, inspired by his involvement in the Egyptian revolution of 2011, and his experience of the counter-revolution that followed, actor and activist Khalid Abdalla (United 93, The Kite Runner, The Crown) takes us 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, 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.

Thu 24 Oct | The Space of Freedom: Here and Now Post-Show Discussion

Dani Abulhawa is a British-Palestinian performance maker and academic. She is the director and co-producer of Voices of Resilience, a theatre production focused on diary entries from writers based in Gaza, surviving the current genocide. Voices of Resilience premiered at HOME MCR in April 2024 and has since toured to the Edinburgh International Book Festival and the London Barbican. Her previous work includes a performance she made with her father about the bodied and psychological experience of border crossing in Palestine, and an interactive exhibition at Leeds Art Gallery (part of Found Cities, Lost Objects, curated by Lubaina Himid) featuring two pieces of work – an audio artwork and two playable sculptures – that address issues of spatial equality in the city. Dani is a co-founder of the Manchester-based collective, Accumulations – a group of dance/movement artists and a network for the development of experimental movement, dance and performance. Dani is the programme leader for Theatre & Performance in the school of Performance and Cultural Industries at the University of Leeds.

Nasima Begum is a performance poet, playwright, producer, actor and creative practitioner. She’s a trustee for Manchester’s Young Identity, (www.youngidentity.org) a collective of poets, dancers and musicians. Nasima has also been appointed a Patron for Contact theatre (www.contactmcr.com) in Manchester. Nasima uses art as a means of activism, and her work is an exploration of the everyday through a personal lens that connects to its audience, whilst championing community.

Nikki Mailer is part of Jewish Action for Palestine Mcr. She is a playwright/poet and applied theatre maker. Her recent play called ‘The Tremors’ (staged last year) set in a bookshop in East Jerusalem explored a Jewish woman’s journey to anti-Zionism. She is co-director of an arts collective called Outside the Frame Arts that aims to platform unheard voices outside of the mainstream. She is currently developing a poetry collection about feminism, Jewish identity and Palestine. She is also expanding her short play, ‘Blink and the Moon has Gone’, which explores the relationship between a Palestinian and Jewish Couple.

What challenges arise from the synergy between artistic expression and civic participation? Join us on Thu 24 Oct for a post-show discussion hosted panels curated by the lead artist, Khalid Abdalla, in collaboration with the Palestinian Festival of Literature. An exploration of the opportunities for dialogue and the unique challenges Arab artists currently face, and how we can collectively overcome them.

The show features an small exhibition outside the theatre space on the first floor. This includes a television and a scrap book. There is more information about this on the stand next to the exhibition.

This accompanying post-show event aims to extend that feeling of openness, creating a safe space for us to gather even after the performance ends. Here, we can linger a bit longer in these newly opened spaces and engage in meaningful conversations.

Nowhere seeks to gently push closed doors and reveal the hidden spaces behind them, inviting the audience to sit and explore together as the narration unfolds.

Please note, the running time for this post-show event is 1 hour.

Commissioned by Fuel. Supported by Arts Council England and CVC.