Manual Cinema

10/24/2025

Pittsburgh, we’re coming for you. 👑🗡️🩸

Catch Manual Cinema’s The 4th Witch today, Friday, Oct 25 at Pittsburgh Cultural Trust!

SHOW INFO:
🗓️ Friday, Oct 25, 2025 @ 7pm
📍 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, it’s a take on Macbeth like you’ve never seen before. 🌙

10/23/2025

Next stop: Pittsburgh 👑🗡️🩸

We’re bringing Manual Cinema’s The 4th Witch to Pittsburgh Cultural Trust this Friday, Oct 25!

A dark, cinematic tale inspired by Shakespeare’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! 😎

We'll see you soon, Pittsburgh 🌙

10/21/2025

We kicked off The 4th Witch Fall Tour this past Friday in Madison, WI and we’re just getting started 😎

Manual Cinema’s The 4th Witch is a dark, cinematic tale inspired by Shakespeare’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. 👑🗡️🩸

The 4th Witch Upcoming Tour Dates:

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

10/17/2025

Hey Madison, WI! We’re in the house! 🎉 We’re so excited to kick off The 4th Witch Fall Tour tonight at 7:30pm at Shannon Hall. If you’re in the area, come see the show, you won’t want to miss it! 🗡️🩸👑

Big thanks to Wisconsin Union Theatre for having us!

10/10/2025

Lancaster, we’re coming your way! ✨

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

Inspired by Edith Nesbit’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. 🌇

📅 When: Sat, Oct 11 @ 1pm
📍 Where: Ware Center for the Arts - Lancaster, PA
🎟 Tickets: https://artsmu.com/event/family-fun-fest-manual-cinema-the-magic-city/the-ware-center/

10/09/2025

Boston, we’re here! 🎉

Leonardo! A Wonderful Show About a Terrible Monster, Manual Cinema’s adaptation of Mo Willems’ beloved books, is live at Wheelock Family Theatre through Oct 19!

It’s a bright, funny, and heartfelt show for kids (and kids at heart) 💛 We hope to see you there!

📅 When: Oct 09-19, 2025
📍 Where: Wheelock Family Theatre - Boston, MA
🎟 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! 🎄👻💫

Manual Cinema’s Christmas Carol returns to Chicago’s historic Studebaker Theater, Dec 12–28, 2025!

Told through hundreds of handmade puppets, live music, and cinematic storytelling, this isn’t your typical holiday show. Follow Aunt Trudy as she recreates her late husband’s Christmas Eve puppet show and watch as the story takes on a life of its own.

⭐ “Extraordinarily moving” — Chicago Tribune
⭐ “Simply hypnotic” — Chicago Reader

🎟 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 season’s ✨𝗙𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗙𝗨𝗡 𝗙𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀✨
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.

🌟 Each 𝗙𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗙𝘂𝗻 𝗙𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗸𝗶𝗱𝘀’ 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 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.

✴️ 𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗞𝗘𝗧 𝗜𝗡𝗙𝗢: 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 .

10/02/2025

🍂✨ Our fall tour kicks off tomorrow! 🍂✨

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:

📍 Academy of Music - Northampton, MA
🗓 Friday, Oct 3 @ 6:30pm
🎟️ 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

09/22/2025

Lancaster! ✨ 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. 🪄🏙️

SHOW TIME:
🗓️ Saturday, October 11 @ 1PM
📍Ware Center for the Arts - Lancaster, PA

Tickets 🎟️: artsmu.com/event/family-fun-fest-manual-cinema-the-magic-city/the-ware-center/

We hope to see you there! 🤩

09/18/2025

We’re just two weeks away from kicking off our Fall 2025 Tour! 🤩 🎉

We can’t wait to share our work with audiences across the country, and we’d love for you to be part of it! This season, we’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! We’ll see you soon! 🤩

Tickets 🎟️: manualcinema.com/calendar

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

The Magic City
Oct 11 – Ware Center for the Arts (Lancaster, PA)

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