'Little Amal' continues cross-country journey with Houston stop
The 12-foot-tall puppet will walk thousands of miles across the U.S., representing refugees and displaced children throughout the world. Amal, the creation of the Cape Town, South Africa-based Handspring Puppet Company, is currently on a cross-country journey with Houston stop. She has been greeted by dignitaries, including Pope Francis, actor Jude Law, and more. In 2021, Amal and her team of puppet-handlers walked more than 6,000 miles in 14 countries, and will take her throughout the United States and Mexico. She will arrive in Houston after stops in New Orleans, Alabama; Decatur, Georgia; and Memphis. The Houston stop will include three events, in collaboration with several local arts organizations. Several of the events will also include kid-friendly activities, including art projects and poster-making.
Publicados : 2 anos atrás por Brittanie Shey no Lifestyle
Amal is the creation of the Cape Town, South Africa-based Handspring Puppet Company, which built the puppet in 2021 for a performance art project called The Walk. That event, which was meant to celebrate human migration and cultural diversity, saw Amal—along with her team of puppet-handlers—spending five months walking from the Turkey-Syria border through Europe to the United Kingdom. Along the way, she was greeted by dignitaries, including Pope Francis, actor Jude Law, and more. Later in 2021, Amal also made a visit to Ukraine and Poland, where she walked in support of Ukrainian refugees, and in 2022, she came to New York City, where she visited all five boroughs.
The character of Little Amal (whose name means "hope" in Arabic) originated with the 2018 play The Jungle, which follows the lives of refugees living in the Calais migrant camp. Amal, who is 9 years old, represents displaced children across the world—half of all refugees are kids, according to The Walk.
It takes four people to control the Amal puppet—one for each arm, one person inside the puppet who walks on stilts and controls her legs, face and head, and one that supports her back. In 2021, Amal and her team walked more than 6,000 miles in 14 countries.
Amal's 2023 walk started Sept. 7 in Boston and will take her throughout the United States and Mexico, ending in Tapachula on Nov. 26, for a total of 11,000 miles. She'll arrive in Houston after stops in New Orleans; Montgomery, Alabama; Decatur, Georgia; and Memphis.
Amal's Houston stop will include three events, in collaboration with several local arts organizations. Starting at 1 p.m. in Downtown Houston, she'll join folks from the Alley Theatre and Orange Show in search of mariachi music in the Theater District. Then she'll head to the ultra-diverse Gulfton neighborhood, where at 3:30 p.m. she'll be joined by soccer players, skateboarders, dancers and musicians, along with members of DiverseWorks, at Burnett Bayland Park. She'll end her visit in the Third Ward, where she and Ensemble Theatre, Project Row Houses, S.H.A.P.E. Community Center and other organizations at Emancipation Park will follow the stars and bright lights in search of safety at 6:30 p.m.
The public is welcome to join Amal and her team for any of these events. It's always free to walk with Amal, but The Amal Fund, along with Choose Love, is accepting donations to support displaced children across the world. Several of the events will also include kid-friendly activities, including art projects and poster-making.
Tópicos: Texas, Houston