Life & Times of Michael K

World leaders in the art of puppetry, the Handspring Puppet Company redefines what is possible in contemporary theatre. Since its inception in South Africa in the 1980s, the company has presented acclaimed performances in 30 countries.

War Horse

Life & Times of Michael K

The Walk (Little Amal)Faustus In Africa!

2025
United Kingdom & Ireland
‍
The National Theatre’s production of War Horse is setting off on a major UK tour in September 2024. The show became the most successful play in the history of the National Theatre, winning more than 25 major awards, and has been seen by over 8.3 million people.

2026
USA tour

An adaptation of the Nobel Prize-winning author JM Coetzee’s novel, the Life and Times of Michael K combines performance, cinematic imagery and music. It follows the journey of Michael K through a war-torn South Africa in a quest to return his elderly mother.

On the 24th of February

Amal and the team behind her were presented with The Livingstone Medal by the Royal Scottish Geographical Society. It’s never been presented to a puppet before. Other awardees include Sir David Attenborough. Neil Armstrong (first man on the moon), Scott of the Antarctic and Ban Ki-moon, the 8th Secretary General of the United Nations.

Cape Town and Europe, 2025

Is an ageless tale. Its themes of compromise are universal, making urgent sense to each successive generation; to betray one’s better judgment for short term gain tempts us all. A collaboration between Handspring Puppet Company and William Kentridge.

Reviews

The original magic that made the play the most successful in the National Theatre's history still holds, with its visceral impact perhaps now more relevant than ever. (War Horse 2024)
‍~ The Guardian

ONE of the greatest benefits of Scotland’s capital city hosting the biggest arts showcase on the planet is that our August festivals are able to attract truly outstanding international work. One such is, without question, JM Coetzee’s Life & Times of Michael K.
~ The National Scotland

Poignant. 5 star. (The Life & Times of Michael K)
‍~ The Reviews Hub

There are rare occasions in the theatre when dance, film, music, adaptation, ensemble and puppetry combine to create magic. This is one of them. (Life & Times of Michael K)
‍~ Broadway World

This, of course, is the point of Little Amal—to use the visceral power of puppetry, and of theatre at its most disarming, to make us feel, and cajole us into considering what we owe to the most vulnerable among us. And ultimately, presumably, to act on that moral imperative.
‍~ The New York Times

The puppets, though, achieve an astonishing level of naturalism, and the final scenes, in which Ulisse dies remembering his first embrace with Penelope after more than 20 years, will have you in tears.
‍~ The Guardian

The puppets stole the show. Ulysses, past his hero’s days, was a world-weary bearded figure with a tattered blanket for a robe.
‍~ The New York Times

In the end, I found Little Amal's journey to be more than just an aesthetic spectacle. She changed the narrative of the night, leading us from spectacle to disorientation; from confusion to hope, awe, and potential.
‍~ The independent review crew

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Picture captured during the production 'Monteverdi’s Il Ritorno d’Ulisse (The Return of Ulysses)'

Picture captured during the production 'Warhorse'

Picture captured during the production 'Woyzeck on the Highveld'

Picture of one of the puppets used in 'The Chimp project'

Puppet from 'Ubu and the Truth Commission'

Picture captured during the production 'Starbrites'

Picture captured during the production 'Tall horse'

Picture captured during the production 'Faustus in Africa'

Picture captured during the production 'Midsummer nights dream'

Puppets from 'Monteverdi’s Il Ritorno d’Ulisse (The Return of Ulysses)'

Puppet from 'Monteverdi’s Il Ritorno d’Ulisse (The Return of Ulysses)'

Our book

Handspring Puppet Company is the first book on Handspring to be published in South Africa. It explores their work in puppet theatre, from Episodes of an Easter Rising to War Horse, providing insights into their philosophy of puppetry and their technical innovations. It is richly illustrated with images from the Handspring archive and includes essays by theatre practitioners and writers who have collaborated with the company over the years.

Read the book here

Life & Times of Michael K

War Horse

The Walk (Little Amal)

Faustus in Africa!

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War Horse

Life & Times of Michael K

Reviews

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Our book