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Amir Nizar Zuabi: How one puppet's 5,000 mile journey delivers a message of hope

Part 1 of TED Radio Hour episode: Special Delivery

Amal is a nine-year-old Syrian refugee. She's also a giant puppet. Theater director Amir Nizar Zuabi discusses how art can deliver a new message on the plight of refugees in his project "The Walk."

About Amir Nizar Zuabi

Amir Nizar Zuabi is an award-winning theater director and playwright, and the founder of the Palestinian theater company, ShiberHur.

He has worked on numerous theatrical productions, including I am Yusuf, Three Days of Grief, Grey Rock, Jidarriya, and The Comedy of Errors. Previously, he was an associate director of the Young Vic, a member of the United Theaters Europe for artistic achievement and an alumni of The Sundance Institute Theatre Program.

In April 2021, Zuabi became artistic director at Good Chance, a London-based theater company that is producing "The Walk," a theater project documenting the puppet Amal's journey across Europe. He is also currently creating a show for the Riksteatern Theater in Stockholm, Sweden and writing a play for London's National Theatre.

This segment of TED Radio Hour was produced by Katie Monteleone and edited by Sanaz Meshkinpour. You can follow us on Facebook @TEDRadioHour and email us at TEDRadioHour@npr.org.

Copyright 2024 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Manoush Zomorodi
Manoush Zomorodi is the host of TED Radio Hour.
Katie Monteleone
Sanaz Meshkinpour

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