Manual Cinema

Manual Cinema MANUAL CINEMA is a performance collective, design studio, and film/ video production company based in

Pittsburgh, weโ€™re coming for you. ๐Ÿ‘‘๐Ÿ—ก๏ธ๐ŸฉธCatch Manual Cinemaโ€™s The 4th Witch today, Friday, Oct 25 at Pittsburgh Cultural T...
10/24/2025

Pittsburgh, weโ€™re coming for you. ๐Ÿ‘‘๐Ÿ—ก๏ธ๐Ÿฉธ

Catch Manual Cinemaโ€™s The 4th Witch today, Friday, Oct 25 at Pittsburgh Cultural Trust!

SHOW INFO:
๐Ÿ—“๏ธ Friday, Oct 25, 2025 @ 7pm
๐Ÿ“ Pittsburgh Cultural Trust - Pittsburgh, PA

A dark, cinematic tale inspired by Macbeth, it follows a young girl who escapes war, finds refuge with a witch, and sets out on a haunting path of vengeance. Told through live shadow play and live music, itโ€™s a take on Macbeth like youโ€™ve never seen before. ๐ŸŒ™

10/23/2025

Next stop: Pittsburgh ๐Ÿ‘‘๐Ÿ—ก๏ธ๐Ÿฉธ

Weโ€™re bringing Manual Cinemaโ€™s The 4th Witch to Pittsburgh Cultural Trust this Friday, Oct 25!

A dark, cinematic tale inspired by Shakespeareโ€™s Macbeth, The 4th Witch follows a young girl who escapes war, is taken in by a witch, and begins a haunting journey of vengeance against the warlord who destroyed her home. Told through live shadow play and live music, it's a take on Macbeth like you've never seen before. You definitely won't want to miss it! ๐Ÿ˜Ž

We'll see you soon, Pittsburgh ๐ŸŒ™

10/21/2025

We kicked off The 4th Witch Fall Tour this past Friday in Madison, WI and weโ€™re just getting started ๐Ÿ˜Ž

Manual Cinemaโ€™s The 4th Witch is a dark, cinematic tale inspired by Shakespeareโ€™s Macbeth. Told through live shadow play and live music, it follows a young girl who escapes war, is taken in by a witch, and begins a haunting journey of vengeance against the warlord who killed her parents: Macbeth.

We'll be on the road with The 4th Witch throughout October and November, so if you're in any of these cities, come see the show! Trust us, you won't want to miss it. ๐Ÿ‘‘๐Ÿ—ก๏ธ๐Ÿฉธ

The 4th Witch Upcoming Tour Dates:

๐Ÿ“ Oct 25 โ€“ Pittsburgh Cultural Trust (Pittsburgh, PA)
๐Ÿ“ Oct 30 โ€“ Nov 9 โ€“ ArtsEmerson (Boston, MA)
๐Ÿ“ Nov 12 โ€“ Seattle Theatre Group (Seattle, WA)
๐Ÿ“ Nov 15 โ€“ Texas Performing Arts (Austin, TX)
๐Ÿ“ Nov 20 โ€“ Chico Performances (Chico, CA)
๐Ÿ“ Nov 22 โ€“ Cal Performances (Berkeley, CA)

Hey Madison, WI! Weโ€™re in the house! ๐ŸŽ‰ Weโ€™re so excited to kick off The 4th Witch Fall Tour tonight at 7:30pm at Shannon...
10/17/2025

Hey Madison, WI! Weโ€™re in the house! ๐ŸŽ‰ Weโ€™re so excited to kick off The 4th Witch Fall Tour tonight at 7:30pm at Shannon Hall. If youโ€™re in the area, come see the show, you wonโ€™t want to miss it! ๐Ÿ—ก๏ธ๐Ÿฉธ๐Ÿ‘‘

Big thanks to Wisconsin Union Theatre for having us!

Lancaster, weโ€™re coming your way! โœจCome see The Magic City  at the Ware Center for the Arts this Saturday, Oct 11, from ...
10/10/2025

Lancaster, weโ€™re coming your way! โœจ

Come see The Magic City at the Ware Center for the Arts this Saturday, Oct 11, from 1-2pm!

Inspired by Edith Nesbitโ€™s classic novel, this whimsical adventure blends live puppetry, cinematic shadow puppetry, and original music to tell a story about imagination, family, and finding magic in the everyday. ๐ŸŒ‡

๐Ÿ“… When: Sat, Oct 11 @ 1pm
๐Ÿ“ Where: Ware Center for the Arts - Lancaster, PA
๐ŸŽŸ Tickets: https://artsmu.com/event/family-fun-fest-manual-cinema-the-magic-city/the-ware-center/

Boston, weโ€™re here! ๐ŸŽ‰ Leonardo! A Wonderful Show About a Terrible Monster, Manual Cinemaโ€™s adaptation of Mo Willemsโ€™ bel...
10/09/2025

Boston, weโ€™re here! ๐ŸŽ‰

Leonardo! A Wonderful Show About a Terrible Monster, Manual Cinemaโ€™s adaptation of Mo Willemsโ€™ beloved books, is live at Wheelock Family Theatre through Oct 19!

Itโ€™s a bright, funny, and heartfelt show for kids (and kids at heart) ๐Ÿ’› We hope to see you there!

๐Ÿ“… When: Oct 09-19, 2025
๐Ÿ“ Where: Wheelock Family Theatre - Boston, MA
๐ŸŽŸ Tickets: https://www.wheelockfamilytheatre.org/performances/current-season/leonardo/

Image 1: Leah Casey, Lily Emerson, Karly Gesine Bergmann, and Kevin Michael Wesson. Photo by Glen Stubbe Photography
Image 2: 7 - Leah Casey, Karly Gesine Bergmann, and Kevin Michael Wesson. Photo by Glen Stubbe Photography

10/06/2025

A Chicago holiday tradition returns! ๐ŸŽ„๐Ÿ‘ป๐Ÿ’ซ

Manual Cinemaโ€™s Christmas Carol returns to Chicagoโ€™s historic Studebaker Theater, Dec 12โ€“28, 2025!

Told through hundreds of handmade puppets, live music, and cinematic storytelling, this isnโ€™t your typical holiday show. Follow Aunt Trudy as she recreates her late husbandโ€™s Christmas Eve puppet show and watch as the story takes on a life of its own.

โญ โ€œExtraordinarily movingโ€ โ€” Chicago Tribune
โญ โ€œSimply hypnoticโ€ โ€” Chicago Reader

๐ŸŽŸ Tickets are ON SALE now! Be sure to grab yours: https://www.fineartsbuilding.com/events/christmas-carol/

10/06/2025

The Ware Center for the Arts (42 N. Prince St.) presents Manual Cinema's The Magic City on Saturday, October 11, 2025, at 1 p.m. The event will include free pre-show children's activities as part of the seasonโ€™s โœจ๐—™๐—ฎ๐—บ๐—ถ๐—น๐˜† ๐—™๐—จ๐—ก ๐—™๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜ ๐—ฆ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜€โœจ
Brought to life through Manual Cinema's magical fusion of actors, puppets, miniatures, and live music, The Magic City encourages us to build bridges rather than walls.

๐ŸŒŸ Each ๐—™๐—ฎ๐—บ๐—ถ๐—น๐˜† ๐—™๐˜‚๐—ป ๐—™๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜ ๐—ณ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐˜๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐˜€ ๐—ณ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฒ ๐—ธ๐—ถ๐—ฑ๐˜€โ€™ ๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜€ an hour before showtime. Children can help build a magic city in the Ware Center lobby, enjoy themed crafts and activities hosted by community partners and Millersville University students, and take home goodie bags filled with their creations.

โœด๏ธ ๐—ง๐—œ๐—–๐—ž๐—˜๐—ง ๐—œ๐—ก๐—™๐—ข: Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students. To reserve tickets, visit www.artsmu.com, call 717-871-7600, or visit the Ware Center for the Arts, 42 N. Prince St., Lancaster, or the Student Memorial Center box office on the Millersville University campus.
This engagement is made possible through the ArtsCONNECT program of Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation with support from the National Endowment for the Arts .

๐Ÿ‚โœจ Our fall tour kicks off tomorrow! ๐Ÿ‚โœจFirst stop: Northampton, MA with Leonardo! A Wonderful Show About a Terrible Mons...
10/02/2025

๐Ÿ‚โœจ Our fall tour kicks off tomorrow! ๐Ÿ‚โœจ

First stop: Northampton, MA with Leonardo! A Wonderful Show About a Terrible Monster.

If you're in the Northampton area, we'd love to see you at the show!
Details below:

๐Ÿ“ Academy of Music - Northampton, MA
๐Ÿ—“ Friday, Oct 3 @ 6:30pm
๐ŸŽŸ๏ธ https://aomtheatre.com/aom_event/leonardo-a-wonderful-show-about-a-terrible-monster/

Image 1: Lily Emerson, Leah Casey, Sarah Fornace, Anney Fresh. Photo by Rebecca J Michelson
Image 2: Lily Emerson, Karly Gesine Bergmann, Kevin Michael Wesson, and Leah Casey. Photo by Glen Stubbe

09/29/2025
Lancaster! โœจ The Magic City is coming to the Ware Center for the Arts on Saturday, October 11! The Magic City is a famil...
09/22/2025

Lancaster! โœจ The Magic City is coming to the Ware Center for the Arts on Saturday, October 11!

The Magic City is a family-friendly show that combines live music, puppetry, and miniature worlds to tell the story of Philomena, a young girl whose city of found objects comes to life. ๐Ÿช„๐Ÿ™๏ธ

SHOW TIME:
๐Ÿ—“๏ธ Saturday, October 11 @ 1PM
๐Ÿ“Ware Center for the Arts - Lancaster, PA

Tickets ๐ŸŽŸ๏ธ: artsmu.com/event/family-fun-fest-manual-cinema-the-magic-city/the-ware-center/

We hope to see you there! ๐Ÿคฉ

Weโ€™re just two weeks away from kicking off our Fall 2025 Tour! ๐Ÿคฉ ๐ŸŽ‰ We canโ€™t wait to share our work with audiences across...
09/18/2025

Weโ€™re just two weeks away from kicking off our Fall 2025 Tour! ๐Ÿคฉ ๐ŸŽ‰

We canโ€™t wait to share our work with audiences across the country, and weโ€™d love for you to be part of it! This season, weโ€™re bringing three shows on the road: Leonardo!, The Magic City, and The 4th Witch.

Check out the tour dates below and grab your tickets while they last! Weโ€™ll see you soon! ๐Ÿคฉ

Tickets ๐ŸŽŸ๏ธ: manualcinema.com/calendar

Leonardo!
Oct 03 โ€“ Academy of Music (Northampton, MA)
Oct 05 โ€“ Quick Center for the Arts (Fairfield, CT)
Oct 09โ€“19 โ€“ Wheelock Family Theatre (Boston, MA)
Oct 26 โ€“ Portland Ovations (Portland, ME)

The Magic City
Oct 11 โ€“ Ware Center for the Arts (Lancaster, PA)

The 4th Witch
Oct 17 โ€“ Wisconsin Union Theater (Madison, WI)
Oct 25 โ€“ Pittsburgh Cultural Trust (Pittsburgh, PA)
Oct 30โ€“Nov 09 โ€“ ArtsEmerson (Boston, MA)
Nov 12 โ€“ Seattle Theatre Group (Seattle, WA)
Nov 15 โ€“ Texas Performing Arts (Austin, TX)
Nov 20 โ€“ Chico Performances (Chico, CA)
Nov 22 โ€“ Cal Performances (Berkeley, CA)

Address

2203 W 21st Street
Chicago, IL
60608

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Manual Cinema

MANUAL CINEMA is a 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 visual stories for stage and screen.