Tell Me

Sadiq Ali Company, part of MimeLondon 2026

A white woman with black curly hair is stood in front of a red pole. She is surrounded by red smoke. Her arm is stretched above her head and she looks distressed.
Photo by Jamie Dennis for Primo DVP

About Tell Me

LIMITED EARLY BIRD TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE*

A striking fusion of circus, dance and theatre from the makers of ★★★★★ The Chosen Haram.

Through Chinese Pole and Aerial Artistry, Tell Me follows a woman navigating her HIV diagnosis, her hopes, her dreams, her fears and ultimately her reality living with the virus in 2026. This highly physical performance draws from the lived experience of director Sadiq Ali as both a circus artist and HIV activist who creates intimate yet visually spectacular performances.

Tell Me seeks to challenge outdated perceptions and offers audiences a fresh perspective on HIV, one rooted in courage, beauty and possibility.

*The Early Bird discount will apply at checkout.

5 Stars

An astonishing fusion of circus and storytelling

Fest Mag (on The Chosen Haram, 2022)

5 Stars

Beautifully choreographed, totally unmissable

The Recs, (on The Chosen Haram, 2022)

About Sadiq Ali Company

Sadiq Ali Company is an emerging circus and performance company, specialising in Chinese pole and run by artistic director Sadiq Ali.

The company premiered their new show Tell Me to outdoor audiences in May 2025. Performed on three scaffold cubes, the story follows a character navigating their HIV diagnosis and reimagines the narrative around HIV today.

Their debut show The Chosen Haram, a unique take on circus performed on two Chinese Poles, was a big hit at the Edinburgh Fringe 2022 - receiving awards, 5-star reviews and sold-out every night. It deals with themes of sexual identity, religion and drug addiction through the story of two gay men, their chance meeting on a dating app and the highs and lows of their relationship. It toured the UK and internationally throughout 2023 and 2024.

Credits

Sadiq Ali Company are produced by Turtle Key Arts, funded by Arts Council England, Creative Scotland and Abderrahim Crickmay Charitable Settlement, commissioned by the Lowry Salford and in association with MimeLondon.

  • Brown-skinned man with a short mohawk and beard, wearing a grey tank top and red checkered trousers, shown from the waist up. He holds a black pole with one hand and looks away from it, gazing downward.
  • A Black man wearing a red tracksuit is holding the feet of a white woman suspended backwards on a black pole. She is wearing a white top and beige trousers, and her arms are outstretched.
  • White woman with mid-length curly brown hair, wearing a white tank top and beige trousers, is suspended within a red cube-shaped sculpture made of rods, positioned diagonally on one edge. She grips two edges with her feet, leans back, holds one edge with one hand, and reaches toward the top edge with the other.
  • Three people stand in a line in the sun, with linked arms, in front of a red scaffolding cube. The first two are a Black man wearing a silver top, silver hat, red neckerchief and red trousers, with his thumbs outstretched, and a white woman with curly black hair wearing a black bucket hat, white top, silver waistcoat with white tassels, and red shorts. She is smiling. The third man has his back facing the audience, and one hand outstretched. He is a brown man wearing a black hat, black leather waistcoat and red tartan trousers.
  • Three people stand in a line in the sun, with linked arms, in front of a red scaffolding cube. The first two are a Black man wearing a silver top, silver hat, red neckerchief and red trousers, with his thumbs outstretched, and a white woman with curly black hair wearing a black bucket hat, white top, silver waistcoat with white tassels, and red shorts. She is smiling. The third man has his back facing the audience, and one hand outstretched. He is a brown man wearing a black hat, black leather waistcoat and red tartan trousers.
  • Two people are suspended horizontally from a black rod, holding on with their arms. Above is a white woman with mid-length curly brown hair, wearing a white tank top and beige trousers, hanging upside down with her legs extended forward at a right angle. Below her is a Black man in a red tracksuit and white sneakers, gripping the rod with bent arms spread wide and his legs curled toward his body.

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