Oct 30—Nov 09, 2025
The 4th Witch
Manual Cinema / from USA
Manual Cinema returns to Boston with their signature stage-magic to conjure Macbeth from a brand new perspective.
The 4th Witch is a fantastic new tale, inspired by elements of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, in which a girl escapes war and flees into a dark forest. Orphaned and exiled, she is rescued by a witch, who adopts her as an apprentice. As she becomes more skilled in witchcraft, her grief and rage draw her into a nightmarish quest for vengeance against the warlord who killed her parents: Macbeth.
Using inventive practical effects executed in plain sight, the troupe brilliantly employs shadow puppetry, live music and actors in silhouette, to create an entire new world in The 4th Witch. Manual Cinema has built a devoted fanbase in Boston over the course of their thrilling past productions at ArtsEmerson including Ada/Ava and Frankenstein. Do not miss its triumphant return this fall!
Info
Venue
Robert J. Orchard Stage,
Emerson Paramount Center
559 Washington St, Boston, MA 02111
Dates
Oct 30, 2025 - Nov 09, 2025
PACKAGES
TICKETS
Groups
Details
65 mins
Ages 12+
Access
Audio Described Show
Sun, Nov 09 2:00 pm
NOTE: OUR PRICES HAVE NOT INCREASED! ALL-IN PRICING is now in effect. In compliance with the H.R.1402 bill , we now list the total price of tickets, with no additional mandatory fees added at checkout.
Performances
Artists
Company
Manual Cinema
Manual Cinema is an Emmy Award winning performance collective, design studio, and film/video production company founded in 2010 by Drew Dir, Sarah Fornace, Ben Kauffman, Julia Miller, and Kyle Vegter. Manual Cinema combines handmade shadow puppetry, cinematic techniques, and innovative sound and music to create immersive stories for stage and screen.
Using vintage overhead projectors, multiple screens, puppets, actors, live feed cameras, multi-channel sound design, and live music, Manual Cinema transforms the experience of attending the cinema and imbues it with liveness, ingenuity, and theatricality. The company was awarded an Emmy in 2017 for “The Forger,” a video created for The New York Times and named Chicago Artists of the Year in 2018 by the Chicago Tribune. Their shadow puppet animations are featured in the film remake of Candyman, directed by Nia DaCosta and produced by Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions. Recent productions include Leonardo! A Wonderful Show about a Terrible Monster, based on books by Mo Willems, an adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, and a revamped production of The Magic City, based on Edith Nesbit’s 1910 novel. In 2023, Manual Cinema completed production on their first self-produced short film, Future Feeling, and toured with folk rock band Iron & Wine the following year. Manual Cinema’s newest production, The 4th Witch, is an inversion of Shakespeare’s Macbeth and premiered at the Spoleto festival in June, 2025.
Manual Cinema has toured throughout North America and to four continents. Highlights include: Under The Radar/The Public Theater (NYC), Adelaide Festival (AUS), Santiago a mil (Chile), Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Singapore International Festival of the Arts, and the Tehran International Puppet Festival (Iran). The company has received commissioning for new performance works from Cal Performances (Berkeley), Metropolitan Museum of Art (NYC), The Kennedy Center, ArtsEmerson (Boston), Spoleto Festival (USA), The Poetry Foundation, and La Monnaie de Munt (Belgium). They have received grant support from the National Theater Project, US Artists International, and ArtsCONNECT.
We’d love to hear from you! Follow us at @manual_cinema; join our newsletter via our website: www.manualcinema.com; and support us via Patreon.
Produced by
Manual Cinema
Concept and Direction by
Drew Dir
Devised by
Drew Dir, Sarah Fornace and Julia Miller
Original Score and Sound Design by
Ben Kauffman and Kyle Vegter
Storyboards and Puppet Design by
Drew Dir
Lighting Design by
David Goodman-Edberg
Costume and Wig Design by
Sully Ratke
Silhouette Masks by
Julia Miller
Costume Assistant
Griffin DiStasi
Puppet Build Assistant
Caitlin McLeod
Sound Engineer
Mike Usrey
Stage Manager and Board Operator
Ryn Hardiman (Oct 30 - Nov 02), Kyle Vegter (Nov 3 - Nov 09)
Creative Producer
Laura Colby
Puppeteers
Lizi Breit (Witch), Leah Casey (Witch), Sarah Fornace (Girl), Julia Miller (Lead Witch), Jeffrey Paschal (Macbeth)
Musicians
Caroline Jesalva - Violin, Vocals (understudy 11/7, 11/8, 11/9), Lia Kohl - Cello, Vocals Lucy Little - Violin, Vocals Alicia Walter - Piano, Keys, Vocals
LIZI BREIT (Witch, Puppeteer)
is a Chicago-based artist. She has been performing and designing with Manual Cinema since 2011.
LEAH CASEY (Witch, Puppeteer)
is a Chicago-based actress, dancer, and writer. When not on stage, she can be found lending her voice to all manner of audiobooks, or with the cast of Project STELLAR, a science fiction podcast about a group of crazy kids who have close encounters of the awesome kind. Chicago credits: Murder on the Orient Express, Grease, Cinderella (Drury Lane), A Christmas Carol (Writers Theatre/Manual Cinema), Leonardo and Sam (Chicago Children’s Theatre/Manual Cinema), Frankenstein (Court Theatre/Manual Cinema), For Colored Girls… (Court Theatre), Romeo and Juliet (Teatro Vista), STORM (Walkabout/Moonfool). Leah is represented by the dedicated team at Shirley Hamilton.
SARAH FORNACE (Girl, Puppeteer, Co-Deviser, Co-Artistic Director)
is a director, puppeteer, choreographer, and narrative designer based in Chicago. She is a co-Artistic Director of Manual Cinema. Outside of Manual Cinema, Sarah has worked as a performer or choreographer with Redmoon Theatre, Lookingglass Theatre Company, Court Theatre, Steppenwolf Garage, and Blair Thomas and Co. Most recently, Sarah wrote the story mode for the video game Rivals of Aether. In 2017, she directed and edited the first episode of the web series, The Doula is IN. In 2016, she directed and devised an “animotion” production of Shakespeare’s Hamlet with Rokoko Studios for HamletScen at Kromborg Castle in Elsinore, Denmark.
JULIA MILLER (Lead Witch, Puppeteer, Co-Deviser, Silhouette Masks, Co-Artistic Director)
is a director, puppeteer, and designer. With Manual Cinema she has directed Mementos Mori and The End of TV as well as created original roles in Frankenstein (The Creature/Elizabeth), Ada/Ava (Ada), Lula del Ray (Lula’s Mother), The Magic City (Helen), Hansel und Gretel (Hansel), and Leonardo! (Sam). In Chicago, she has worked as a performer and puppeteer with Redmoon Theatre and Blair Thomas and Co. She spent several years training in devised theatre, clown and mask with Double Edge Theatre, Carlos García Estevez and at the Accademia dell’Arte in Arezzo, Italy.
JEFFREY PASCHAL (Macbeth, Puppeteer)
is originally from a town called Corning in Upstate New York. In 2012 Jeff moved to Chicago to go to school at Northwestern University where he majored in Theatre. At Northwestern Jeff was involved with several theatre productions including Fabulation directed by Jerrell Henderson and Anna in the Tropics directed by Henry Godinez as well as directing and producing several short films through the school’s RTVF program. Jeff graduated from Northwestern with a B.S. in Theatre in 2016. He currently lives in Chicago and is represented by Gray Talent Group.
CAROLINE JESALVA (Violin, Vocals - Understudy 11/7, 11/8, 11/9)
is a Chicago-based musician, improviser, multidisciplinary artist, and curator. She studied music at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, MA where she developed a practice centered on contemporary, improvised and experimental music composition and performance. Her work intersects many disciplines including experimental theater, songwriting, performance art, classical music, and free jazz. Caroline is a member of the improvising collective BananaAcid, and performs regularly with musicians and artists, such as cellist Katinka Kleijn and saxophonist Sarah Clausen. She has performed on violin as a soloist, in duos, and with ensembles such as Bang on a Can, ECCE Arts Ensemble, and Crossing Borders Music, appearing at venues across the U.S. including Jordan Hall, MASS MoCA, Compound Yellow, Oracle Egg, Elastic Arts Foundation, Moeser Auditorium, The Hideout, Hungry Brain, BOMBYX Center for Arts, Rosehill Cemetery, and the International Museum of Surgical Science.
LIA KOHL (Cello, Vocals)
is a cellist, composer, and multidisciplinary artist based in Chicago. She creates and performs music and multimedia performance that incorporates sound, video, movement, theater, and sculptural objects. She has presented work and performed at the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, the Walker Art Center, Chicago Symphony Center, and Eckhart Park Pool, and held residencies at Mana Contemporary Chicago, High Concept Labs, dfbrl8r Performance Art Gallery, Mills College and Stanford University.
LUCY LITTLE (Violin, Vocals)
is a musician, improvisor, composer, and audio producer currently based in NYC, but with deep and loving roots in Chicago, where she lived for 10 years. As a composer, Lucy has written and recorded scores for theatrical productions and podcasts, including for the Audible Original plays Daddies (2022) and Marrow (2023). As a performer, Lucy plays violin with the Chicago-based indie rock and folk project Half Gringa, has an electroacoustic solo project, and has performed with musicians from around the world, including with singer/songwriters Aisha Burns, Dani Larkin, MICHA Música, Afarin Nazarijou, and more. Lucy holds a Master’s degree from the New England Conservatory, a Bachelor’s from the University of Chicago, is an U.S. Fulbright alum and a 2022 OneBeat Fellow.
ALICIA WALTER (Keys, Guitar, Vocals)
is a singer-songwriter, composer, and pianist from Chicago. Known for her “near-cosmic voice” (WIRED) and “stratosphere of songwriting all her own” (Consequence of Sound), Walter has released two celebrated albums under her own name: Right Noise (BIG EGO Records 2023) and I Am Alicia (Sooper Records 2021). In 2024, she performed in venues across the US and Europe, most recently alongside artists Veronica Swift and Danielle Ponder. Her music has been featured in nationally syndicated TV shows, including NBC hit drama, “This Is Us,” and “All Rise.” Walter rose to acclaim as bandleader of beloved Chicago-based art rock group, Oshwa.
LAURA COLBY (Creative Producer)
Recipient of NAPAMA’s 2016 Liz Silverstein Award, Colby secures funds to create new work via Elsie Management (which she founded in 1995). In 2020, Colby served as Creative Producer in the creation and delivery of Manual Cinema’s Christmas Carol – a show that was live-streamed for 24 performances in December 2020, during the height of the pandemic closures. She served as Managing Producer for LaTasha Barnes’ The Jazz Continuum and Monique Martin’s Minty Fresh Circus. Colby’s podcast, The Middle Woman, a roadmap to managing the performing arts, is available on all podcast platforms. www.elsieman.org
DREW DIR (Concept, Director, Storyboards and Puppet Design, Co-Deviser, Co-Artistic Director)
is a writer, director, and puppet designer. Previously, he served as the Resident Dramaturg of Court Theatre and a lecturer in theater and performance studies at the University of Chicago. He holds a master’s degree in Text and Performance Studies from King’s College London and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.
GRIFFIN DISTASI (Costume Assistant) (they/he)
is an illustrator, maker, voice actor, and circus artist who has been spending the years since graduating University of Illinois with a degree in mechanical engineering working to marry engineering and art any way they can. Their work spans from poster design and comic illustration to rigging and puppet design, and they are thrilled to be working with Manual Cinema for the first time.
DAVID GOODMAN-EDBERG (Lighting Designer)
is a Chicago based lighting designer working in the realms of dance, theatrical, and architectural design. He has designed and toured with such companies as Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre, Eisenhower Dance Detroit, Visceral Dance Chicago, and Water Street Dance Milwaukee, and lit works set on companies such as Chicago Repertory Ballet, Chicago Tap Theater, Joel Hall Dancers, and Thodos Dance Chicago. Theatrically, he has designed with puppet & object oriented companies such as Rough House and Cabinet of Curiosity as well as with such companies as Adventure Stage, Akvavit Theatre, Factory Theater, The Gift Theater, Organic Theater, Red Tape Theater, The Syndicate, and Trap Door Theatre. Architecturally, he has lit pieces at the art space 6018|North and worked as an assistant/associate designer for projects at various Universal Studios theme parks (in Beijing, Hollywood, Orlando, and Osaka), Disney Shanghai, and several Margaritaville restaurants. dglxdesign.com
RYN HARDIMAN (Stage Manager and Board Operator Oct 30 - Nov 02)
is a Chicago-based artist, technician, designer, and stage manager. In addition to touring as a Stage Manager with Manual Cinema, Ryn also works as an AV Technician at The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago Humanities Festival, Blue Man Group Chicago, The Second City, and is currently the Technical Director at The Neo-Futurists.
BEN KAUFFMAN (Original Score and Sound Design, Co-Artistic Director)
is a composer, director, interactive media artist and co-Artistic Director of Manual Cinema. His film and interactive work has been shown at The Jay Pritzker Pavilion (Chicago), The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum (Chicago), and CUNY’s Baruch College (NYC). He has lectured and given workshops at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York University and Parsons the New School of Design. His past Composer/ Sound Designer credits with Manual Cinema include Ada/ Ava, The End of TV, and the New York Times documentary The Forger. He holds a Master’s degree from New York University’s Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP).
CAITLIN MCLEOD (Puppet Build Assistant)
is a Chicago based costume, scenic, and puppet designer. Recent design credits include: Romeo and Zooliet (St. Louis Shakespeare); Fat Ham (Virginia Stage Co); The Little Mermaid (Drury Lane); Lavender Men (About Face); Blues for an Alabama Sky (Virginia Stage Co);The Dream King (Teatro Vista); Trouble in Mind (Timeline); The Seagull (Steppenwolf); Exquisite Corpse (Rough House). Craftwork credits include The Goodman, The Kennedy Center, Lookingglass, and Northlight. Caitlin is a co-curator of NBS: Chicago’s Puppet Slam, company member of Rough House, and project manager of the Chicago Puppet Studio. Instagram @CaitlinMcLeodDesign
SULLY RATKE (Costume and Wig Design)
is a multi-disciplinary visual story-telling artist with an appetite for compelling language, mystery, whimsy, and spiritual philosophy.
MIKE USREY (Audio Engineer)
“That may be the most important thing to understand about humans. It is the unknown that defines our existence. We are constantly searching, not just for answers to our questions, but for new questions. We are explorers. We explore our lives day by day, and we explore the galaxy trying to expand the boundaries of our knowledge. And that is why I am here: not to conquer you with weapons or ideas, but to coexist and learn.” – Benjamin Lafayette Sisko
KYLE VEGTER (Stage Manager and Board Operator Nov 03 - Nov 09, Original Score and Sound Design, Co-Artistic Director)
is a composer, producer, sound designer, and Managing Artistic Director of Manual Cinema. As a composer of concert music he’s been commissioned by such groups as The Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s MusicNOW series, The Pacific Northwest Ballet, and TIGUE. His music and sound design for theater and film has been performed worldwide and commissioned by the New York Times, NPR’s Invisibilia, Topic (First Look Media), the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, StoryCorps, The Art Institute of Chicago, The Poetry Foundation, Hubbard Street Dance, the O, Miami Poetry Festival, and others. His past Composer/ Sound Designer credits with Manual Cinema include Lula Del Ray, Ada/ Ava, FJORDS, Mementos Mori, The End of TV and various other performance and video projects. He has been an artist in residence at High Concept Laboratories, and co-founded Chicago’s only contemporary classical music cassette label Parlour Tapes+.v
Gallery
Photo Credit: Katie Doyle
Photo Credit: Katie Doyle
Photo Credit: Katie Doyle
Photo Credit: Katie Doyle
Photo Credit: Katie Doyle
Photo Credit: Katie Doyle
Buzz
Related Events
PUPPET TIME
Every performance of The 4th Witch will be followed by Puppet Time! Puppet Time invites audience members to come up on stage and play with the materials Manual Cinema uses to create this magical show. Note: there will be no Puppet Time after the October 30th evening performance and the November 1st evening performance.
POST SHOW TALK BACK
NOV 01, 2025 @ 8:00PM
Join us after this performance of The 4th Witch for a talkback conversation with the creators of the show.
For Talk Back performances, immediately after the conclusion of the show, a moderator and special guests will talk about the production and field questions from the audience as well. Free for all ticket holders!
WITCHES’ NIGHT OUT!
We’re so thrilled to present Manual Cinema’s The 4th Witch this fall, including a performance on Halloween! We’re marking the special occasion by encouraging all audiences to gather their ghoul-squad to celebrate spooky season at the FRI OCT 31 @ 7:30PM performance of the show. Costumes are encouraged! Post your theater selfie with #WitchesNightOut so we’ll be sure to see it.
THE POINT: SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES
OCT 21, 2025
Recasting the Empowered Woman inspired by Manual Cinema’s innovative new production The 4th Witch, unexpected adaptation of Macbeth.
“PURE MAGIC.
A devilish, delicious delight on its own visually sumptuous terms.
Worthy of repeat viewings in order to observe every little detail.”
— Charleston City Paper
“Balancing mystery and memory, ‘The 4th Witch’ makes a stunning case for imagination as a tool of resistance and escape. With a complex narrative, mesmerizing effects and deeply felt performances, the beauty found in this story is more than a trick of the light.”
— The Post and Courier
“This Chicago Troupe is conjuring phantasms to die for.
— The New York Times
“Manual Cinema has created a whole new art form.”
— The Chicago Tribune
October 2, 2025
Past Manual Cinema Productions at ArtsEmerson
Few artistic collaborations have lit up Boston’s theater scene quite like ArtsEmerson and Manual Cinema. Over the years, this Chicago-based performance collective has become a staple of ArtsEmerson’s programming, bringing...
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