 In 1998, he directed a production of "Someone Who'll Watch Over Me" by Frank McGuinness, which ended up having a successful run at the Edinburgh Festival and earned five stars in "The Scotsman" newspaper, making him the youngest director to receive this accolade.After spending a gap year travelling around the Middle East, Abdalla went on to Queens' College, Cambridge where he read English.He was active in the student drama scene alongside the likes of contemporaries Rebecca Hall and Dan Stevens.