The Herds: A Global Act Of Theater For Climate Action

THE HERDS will deliver artistically ambitious performances in over 30 cities across 15 countries from Africa to Europe. | (c) The Walk Productions, photography by Ant Strack

In an era where climate change is among the most pressing issues facing humanity, innovative approaches are needed to cut through the noise and inspire action. One such approach is The Herds, a massive theatrical journey to provoke thought, inspire empathy, and galvanize a global movement. 

I sat down with Amir Nizar Zuabi, the visionary artistic director behind The Herds, and David Lan, the project’s producer, to discuss this ambitious theatrical journey. The Herds follows in the footsteps of Zuabi’s and Lan’s previous project, Little Amal, but takes the audience on a new journey to explore the deep connection between climate change, migration, and survival. I was curious to learn more about how The Herds came to be and how Zuabi and David Lan plan to engage the world in the fight against the climate crisis.

Zuabi’s inspiration for The Herds is deeply rooted in his experience with Little Amal, a 3.5-meter puppet that represented a 10-year-old refugee girl. Little Amal walked 5,000 miles through 8 countries and 65 cities, engaging millions of people globally, both in person and online. 

Amir Nizar Zuabi, the artistic director at The Herds | The Herd

Zuabi realized that the puppet and the journey connected audiences emotionally with the refugee crisis, transforming abstract statistics into deeply personal stories. “When we were walking through Europe with Amal, we met a lot of climate refugees, and the idea of creating a long journey that investigates the relationship between climate and migration and movement became something I was very interested in. I was interested in the idea of telling a long-form story using theater and a journey through geography, connecting many communities,” Zuabi shared. This unique approach of “journey-based storytelling” laid the foundation for The Herds, a similarly ambitious project, but with a focus on the intersection of climate and migration.

As Zuabi reflected on his childhood memories of watching bird migrations from Europe to Africa, he noticed a poignant parallel between the birds’ diminishing flocks and the forced migration of people. This revelation became the genesis for The Herds—a theatrical project that mirrors the urgency and scale of climate disasters, much like the migrations of birds or people fleeing peril.

The success of Little Amal was undeniable— Two million people came out to the streets to witness the puppet’s journey, and tens of millions more followed online. However, Zuabi and his team emphasize that The Herds is not a continuation but a completely new artistic endeavor. “We understood the power of creating a network of partnerships and working very locally from Amal. But this is a completely different project. The artistic process is different. The emphasis is different,” David Lan, producer of The Herds, pointed out. “It’s not a continuation. It’s using mistakes we made from Amal to make new mistakes on this.”

While Little Amal was a narrative focused on the refugee crisis, The Herds shifts focus toward the devastating effects of climate change. Zuabi’s vision is to create a performance that spans 30 cities across 15 countries, with a reach of over half a million live audience members, engages 50,000 participants, and millions more online. This vast scale, with performances in Africa and Europe, is designed to invoke a sense of urgency and emotional engagement from diverse audiences.

Little Amal is the 12 foot puppet of  a 10 year old Syrian refugee child at the heart of The Walk.  She has become a global symbol of human rights, especially those of refugees. | The Walk Productions

The Herds presents unique opportunities for brands to engage with a highly emotionally connected global audience and be involved with one of the biggest art and climate activism projects ever attempted. Brands interested in sustainability, environmentalism, and climate action are encouraged to partner with the project. “We’re eager to work with like-minded brands who can help to bring our vision to life and align with our message of communities coming together to create change,” said Lan.

The project offers a range of bespoke partnership packages, including co-marketing opportunities, significant brand exposure, networking, and participation in creative workshops. “We expect to reach a global audience of upwards of 10 million people who are environmentally conscious and want to see change. The themes running through the project include environmentalism, biodiversity, and sustainability, and provide an exciting opportunity for brands to partner with us to amplify their environmental initiatives. Given the nature of the project and its emphasis on climate action, we’re particularly keen to speak to global brands with strong environmental credentials across a range of sectors including the automotive, banking, travel, accommodation, and clean energy,” said Lan.

The Herds will be unlike any other theatrical performance. It is an urgent call to action, and Zuabi is determined to make it a shared experience. The project envisions puppet animals—designed from recyclable and reusable materials—emerging from the forests of Central Africa, crossing the Mediterranean, and journeying through European cities, finally reaching the northern tip of Norway. This migration of hundreds of animals serves as a metaphor for climate refugees, reminding audiences of the interconnectedness between the natural world and human life.

Zuabi’s vision for The Herds is to disturb our indifference and demand action. “Animals are nature’s great early warning system,” he said during his TED talk. He explained how birds, herds, and other animals are often the first to sense and flee from natural disasters. In the same way, The Herds will serve as a visceral reminder that the planet is in peril, a symbol of the system’s collapse. “We hope to disturb that indifference,” Zuabi emphasized.

(c) Walk Productions & Photography by David Levene

By bringing the performance to the streets and public spaces where people feel safe, The Herds aims to unsettle and challenge audiences to confront the climate crisis directly. The project will invite leading artists in each city to collaborate and create artistic responses that reflect the local culture and context. This element of unpredictability and local engagement is critical to making The Herds a truly global act of theater.

Through the integration of live performances, storytelling, and artistic collaborations, The Herds intends to deliver a powerful emotional experience. “So much of the climate debate is happening above the heads of ordinary people,” Zuabi noted. The goal of The Herds is to translate complex scientific data into an emotional and sensory experience that moves people to action.

Zuabi and his team understand that emotion is a key motivator for change. “Nothing cracks the wall of indifference more than beauty,” Zuabi remarked. The Herds will be a beautiful yet haunting display of what is at stake in the climate crisis. The journey of these puppet animals—predators and prey running together—will force audiences to ask themselves, “What does this say about us? Who are we in the story?”

In an age of data overload and information fatigue, The Herds aims to reignite a sense of connection between people and the planet. The project underscores the importance of creating emotional experiences that stir people into action, offering hope that through beauty, empathy, and collective effort, we can fight for a future worth preserving.

As Zuabi aptly put it, “We are just a drop of water on a stone, but slowly, over time, the water shapes the stone.”