Little Amal, the larger-than-life puppet of a 10-year-old Syrian refugee that has become an international symbol of human rights, visited the RSC as part of World Refugee Week and to celebrate Midsummer.

She was welcomed to the Royal Shakespeare Theatre with a short extract from A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Erica Whyman, Acting Artistic Director, said: ‘We are delighted to welcome Little Amal to Stratford-upon-Avon at Midsummer. This is such an important journey in World Refugee Week, and our community, including many displaced families who have recently settled here, will welcome this precious opportunity to Walk with Amal. Shakespeare wrote passionately about the experience of making your home in a new land, and his words will be one of our gifts to Amal.’

Get involved

We would like everyone to welcome Little Amal to Stratford by bringing their own messages of welcome and stars. You can bring a star to hold for Amal or make one with us from 3.30pm, ready for when Little Amal arrives. Here are some ideas for making your star.

The free event will last approximately 1 hour and is suitable for all ages, with no booking required.

New Steps, New Friends

Starting in Manchester on 19 June, Little Amal’s journey will also take in Stonehenge, the Liverpool Docks, Bradford, Leeds, Bristol Harbour, Birmingham, Cheltenham, Canterbury and London. Her journey will end on 27 June in Folkestone, Kent, where she first arrived in the UK.

About Amal

Since her 8,000km journey started last year from the border of Syria and Turkey, Little Amal has come to represent the millions of refugee children, sharing the message, “Don’t forget about us”.

It takes three puppeteers to operate Little Amal: a stilt walker whose legs become Amal’s and who also animates her face, and two other puppeteers, one operating each of her arms. There is a team of ten puppeteers, some from refugee backgrounds. The puppet is crafted from moulded cane and carbon fibre.