A.R.T. to Present Summer Workshops in Preparation for Little Amal's Arrival in September

American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) at Harvard University, led by Terrie and Bradley Bloom Artistic Director Diane Paulus and Executive Director Kelvin Dinkins, Jr., was announced today as a Boston Partner of Amal Walks Across America by The Walk Productions in association with Handspring Puppet Company. A.R.T. will create and host one of the first free public events of the 6,000-mile national tour comprising more than 100 events in 35 cities and towns across the US from Boston to San Diego. 

 

A.R.T. announced today a series of community workshops led by project director Brisa Areli Muñoz and A.R.T. teaching artists. The intergenerational workshops inspired by the theme of “welcome” are designed to deepen understanding and foster a sense of community and belonging for immigrants and refugees. Community partners include: Harvard Ed Portal, Boston Public Library, The Immigrant Learning Center, and the Malden Public Library.

 

Workshops are free and open to the public, RSVPs are recommended. 

 

• Thursday, August 3 at 12PM | Malden Public Library, 36 Salem Street, Malden

Participants are invited to join students from The Immigrant Learning Center to develop  original theatrical content that will be featured as part of the program to welcome Little Amal to Harvard’s campus on Thursday, September 7. 

• Saturday, August 12 at 11AM | Harvard Ed Portal, 225 Western Ave., Allston
• Tuesday, August 15 at 5PM | Harvard Ed Portal, 225 Western Ave., Allston
• Saturday August 19 at 2PM | East Boston Branch Library, 365 Bremen St., East Boston
• Tuesday August 29 at 4PM | Fields Corner Branch Library, 1520 Dorchester Ave., Dorchester
• Thursday August 31 at 1PM | East Boston Branch Library, 365 Bremen St., East Boston

Participants are invited to explore themes of welcoming and belonging inspired by Amal Walks Across America and develop original materials that will be part of the program to welcome Little Amal to Harvard’s campus on September 7. 

 

Learn more and sign up to participate at AmericanRepertoryTheater.org/AmalWalks.

 

Little Amal, whose name means “hope” in Arabic, is an internationally celebrated 12-foot-tall puppet of a 10-year-old Syrian refugee girl. She has been welcomed by more than 250 uniquely created artistic events across the globe since her initial 5,000-mile trek across Europe in 2021. Amal carries her message of hope for marginalized people everywhere, especially children who have been separated from their families. As a public art project, among the largest ever produced, she has been heralded as “one of the most ambitious live artworks ever staged” (The Observer, 2021) and “an international symbol of human rights” (The Guardian, 2022). 

 

Amal’s US journey is designed around four Pillars of Impact: Celebrate and Learn, Inspire Solidarity, Catalyze Impact, and Mobilize Action.

 

“Amal carries with her an urgent message for society to consider the humanity of refugees across all spectrums of identity and experience,” says director of A.R.T.’s Little Amal programming Brisa Areli Muñoz, who is working in collaboration with A.R.T. Artistic Director Diane Paulus on the September welcome event. “This project embodies my strong belief that theater can be a powerful democratic tool for mobilization and action, and its artists are stakeholders in the transformation of our country. It is a deep honor and privilege to hold space for Little Amal with A.R.T. as she begins her journey across the United States, and to activate our partners across Harvard and our community to envision how refugee safety, welcoming, and belonging can become core tenants of daily living.”

 

“The impact of Amal’s journey on Greater Boston and the nation could not be more aligned with A.R.T’s mission to expand the boundaries of theater as we build community and illuminate our shared humanity, says A.R.T. Associate Artistic Director Dayron J. Miles. “We look forward to welcoming Amal and all of Greater Boston to Harvard’s campus in September.”

 

A.R.T.’s partners for Amal Walks Across America include CityStep; The Immigrant Learning Center; Harvard’s Graduate School of Design; the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard University; the Harvard University Committee on Ethnicity, Migration, Rights; the Harvard University Asia Center; the Harvard University Office of International Education; the Harvard Graduate School of Education; and Harvard University Committee on the Arts. Additional partners will be announced on a rolling basis at AmericanRepertoryTheater.org/AmalWalks.

 

A.R.T.’s Amal Walks Across America Thursday, September 7, 7PM event will be produced by A.R.T. as part of Harvard University’s ArtsThursdays, a university-wide initiative sponsored by Harvard University Committee on the Arts (HUCA) that provides free public arts programming during the academic year. Additional details will be announced in the coming weeks. 

 

ArtsEmerson, Company One Theatre, Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA), Lars Jan, Boston University Center on Forced Displacement, Boston University Arts Initiative, Extinction Rebellion Boston, Foxborough Public Schools, RefugePoint, and The Puppet Free Library will welcome Little Amal to the city of Boston on September 7 - 9, 2023.

 

“The story of the United States has been shaped by a complex history of migration and movement that touches every corner of the globe,” said The Walk Productions Artistic Director Amir Nizar Zuabi. “But the myriad challenges of today’s interconnected world are forcing many to revisit America’s status as the land of opportunity. Our hope for Amal is that she can spur conversations in communities across the country around the important role of refugees and newcomers in writing the ongoing story of the United States.”

 

Amal Walks Across America is produced by The Walk Productions in association with Handspring Puppet Company. The A.R.T./Harvard event is made possible with the support of Harvard University Committee on the Arts (HUCA); The Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Harvard University; and theHarvard University Committee on Ethnicity, Migration, Rights. 

 

ABOUT BRISA ARELI MUÑOZ

Brisa Areli Muñoz (she/her/hers) is an theater director, healing practitioner, and cultural worker based out of New York City. She was the Associate Director of the A.R.T./Roundabout revival of 1776 and is the Artistic Director of Musical Theatre Factory, an organization that develops changemaking new musicals in a joyous, collaborative community free from commercial pressures. She is also the Artistic Director of One Nation/One Project’s collaboration with the city of Edinburg, Texas. ONOP is a national arts and wellness initiative designed to activate the power of the arts to repair the social fabric of our nation and heal our communities. Brisa has served as Manager of Community Partnerships for The Public Theater’s Public Works program, a major initiative that invites community members to take classes, attend performances and join in the creation of ambitious works of participatory theater. She is an adjunct professor for Brooklyn College’s MFA in Performing Arts Management program and will teach a course at Harvard University in the fall entitled Theater and Migration: Building Belonging through Participatory Public Arts that is inspired by Little Amal’s walk. 

Muñoz has directed and facilitated work on Broadway, across the world, and in communities in partnership with American Repertory Theater, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, The Kennedy Center, The Public Theater, Carnegie Hall, REDCAT Cal Arts Theater, Arts Emerson, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, BRIC Arts Media, Sojourn Theatre, Oye Group, CUNY Creative Arts Team, Hi-ARTS, CO/LAB, and Actionplay.

 

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