Handspring Puppet Company

Handspring Puppet Company was founded by Artistic Director Adrian Kohler and Executive Producer Basil Jones in 1981 in Cape Town, South Africa, and has grown under their leadership for 40 years.

Handspring’s work has been presented in more than 30 countries around the world. The company is widely recognised as South Africa’s pre-eminent puppet theatre company with work spanning four decades of creating theatre for adults and children.

The run-away hit play War Horse, produced by the National Theatre in London, established Handspring as one of the most important puppet companies in the world. This success has afforded the company the opportunity to further develop the art form they are so passionate about.

The puppet of Little Amal was designed and built by Handspring Puppet Company.

Handspring are represented by Quaternaire worldwide.

Basil Jones and Adrian Kohler, founders of Handspring, put their retirement on hold to be a part of The Walk. As Adrian says:

“This is a fantastic way for us to end our careers with a puppet walking through Europe where we’ve made much of our work over the last 40 years. The story of refugees is so important for the whole world. Many countries are on the move because of conflict, climate change, farmers that can’t work anymore through lack of rain. It’s the big story of our time. Because it’s an outdoor event, The Walk has the potential of bringing people together again. At a moment when theatres are struggling to re-open this is something everyone can be a part of.”

It took dozens of talented craftspeople and makers to create Little Amal. Instrumental in bringing her to life, their vision meant that she was able to begin her 8,000km journey across borders, cultures and languages.

Adrian Kohler

Amal Designer

Face and hand carving