Good Chance Theatre is all geared up to raise awareness about the Syrian refugee crisis through one of its productions. Featuring a Syrian puppet that will walk from Gaziantep to Manchester, Good Chance Theatre’s production will educate and inform people on the way.
The story goes something like this. Little Amal, the puppet, is in search of his mother. The nine-year-old girl is a Syrian refugee from Aleppo, who is looking for her displaced family as she walks from the Syrian-Turkey border to the UK.
The theatre will be organising a roster of events and art installations along the way in several towns and villages.
Created by the Handspring Puppet Company in Cape Town, South Africa, Amal is a 3.5 m tall puppet whose story resonates with countless children and young refugees around the world who get separated from their families and are rendered homeless.
The production by Good Chance Theatre is titled ‘The Walk’ and is no less than a celebration of art and hope. It is produced by Stephen Daldry, David Lan and Tracey Seaward, in association with Handspring Puppet Company. Good Chance’s maiden production ‘The Jungle’ inspired the creation of Little Amal. “She is made from a robust, lightweight material like moulded cane and carbon fibre, to achieve a puppet that can be operated for long periods of time in varying conditions, to withstand rain and heat,” Good Chance told Hindu.
The journey of the puppet began on July 27 and will span 8,000 km till Manchester. “The route is the culmination of migration routes which have been used during the refugee crises of recent years,” said David Lan. Furthermore, the puppet will take part in the Manchester International Festival to begin the next chapter of her life. “The city is one of many towns and cities in the UK that is doing a lot to welcome refugees, with Greater Manchester having the highest concentration of dispersed asylum seekers in the UK outside of London,” Good Chance said.
