Manual Cinema

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

05/26/2026

The 4th Witch heads to OZ Arts Nashville June 4-6!

05/26/2026

Nashville! We can't wait for you to experience The 4th Witch next week! 🗡️🩸👑⁠
⁠
Performances run June 4-6. See you there 😏

Tickets 🎟️⁠: https://www.ozartsnashville.org/manual-cinema/
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Show Times:⁠
Thurs. June 4 @ 8pm⁠
Fri. June 5 @ 8pm⁠
Sat. June 6 @ 2pm⁠
Sat. June 6 @ 8pm

We're thrilled to announce an extended run of Leonardo! A Wonderful Show about a Terrible Monster at Seattle Children's ...
05/21/2026

We're thrilled to announce an extended run of Leonardo! A Wonderful Show about a Terrible Monster at Seattle Children's Theatre from October 1 - November 1, 2026!

Based on the book by beloved author Mo Willems, Leonardo! A Wonderful Show about a Terrible Monster uses hundreds of puppets and props to bring Mo Willems’ books to life. Discover why making friends doesn’t have to be scary.

Recommended for ages 3+

Tickets 🎟️: https://www.sct.org/onstage/productions/leonardo-2026/

05/20/2026

Nashville, you're next! 🗡️🩸👑

We're bringing The 4th Witch to in just 2 weeks! If you're in the area, we'd love for you to come see the show.

Tickets 🎟️: https://www.ozartsnashville.org/manual-cinema/

Show Times:⁠
Thurs. June 4 @ 8pm⁠
Fri. June 5 @ 8pm⁠
Sat. June 6 @ 2pm⁠
Sat. June 6 @ 8pm

Dream Delivery Service wrapped up this weekend with sold out performances! Thank you to .uchicago and all of the student...
05/19/2026

Dream Delivery Service wrapped up this weekend with sold out performances! Thank you to .uchicago and all of the students, designers, performers, and collaborators who helped bring this special project to life.

A huge thank you as well to everyone who came out to experience the show with us!

MANUAL CINEMA PRODUCTION CREDITS:

Concept and Direction by Sarah Fornace
Devised by Drew Dir, Sarah Fornace, & Julia Miller
Original Music & Sound Design by Ben Kauffman & Kyle Vegter
Storyboards, Puppet Design & Construction by Drew Dir
Costume Design by Mieka van der Ploeg
Lighting Design by David Goodman-Edberg
Projection Design by Rasean Davonté Johnson
Additional Puppet Construction by Rooke Hyde
Stage Manager and Board Operator Maydi Díaz
Intimacy Direction by Charlie Baker

UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO STAFF

Chair, Theatre and Performance Studies John Muse
Director of Performance Devon de Mayo
Director of Dance Julia Rhoads
Director of Design Rasean Davonté Johnson
Managing Director Jazmin Jones Oliver
Production Manager Brianna Parry
Academic Administrator Vicki Walden
Technical Director Ben Caracello
Costume Shop Manager Nathan Rohrer
Props Manager Jenny Pinson
Lighting Manager Garrett Bell
Sound Manager Hannah Foerschler
Marketing Coordinator Mari Joy Asiado
Theater Production Coordinator Natalie Rarick

STUDENT PRODUCTION TEAM

Josiah Rubio Assistant Director
Elisa Gao Puppet Construction
Anoushka Gehani Puppet Construction
Jo Selmeczy Puppet Construction
Maddie Mathes Assistant Costume Designer
Ava Pasierb Costume Assistant
Celeste Taylor Costume Fabrication
Lavanya Gupta Costume Fabrication
Zoe Jalkut Assistant Lighting Design
Anna Cho Assistant Sound Designer
Ash Kim Assistant Projection Designer
Coco Huang Dramaturg

STUDENT ACTORS

Nina Maxin Dream Deliverer 1
Nevaeh Chen Dream Deliverer 2
Kaya Kei Lau Dream Deliverer 3
Melanie (Mel) Azpeitia Dream Deliverer 4
Sarah Thau Cyborg Dreamer
Daniel Olmo Father Shadow/Puppeteer
Asteria Mao Romance Woman Dreamer
Faer Son AI Woman
Ian Hopkins Man/AI Man
Julia Morales Monk Dreamer
Julia Miller (MC)^ Abbott
Spencer Roh Claude

05/12/2026

Nashville...something wicked this way comes 👀👑🗡️🩸

We're bringing The 4th Witch to Oz Arts Nashville from June 4-6!

Blending shadow puppetry, live cinema, and haunting live music, The 4th Witch is an imaginative inversion of Shakespeare's Macbeth and a must-see.

If you're in the Nashville area, we'd love to see you there.
Tickets 🎟️: https://www.ozartsnashville.org/manual-cinema/

Show Times:

Thurs. June 4 @ 8pm
Fri. June 5 @ 8pm
Sat. June 6 @ 2pm
Sat. June 6 @ 8pm

We're just one week away from Dream Delivery Service, a new co-production between Manual Cinema and UChicago TAPS!Shows ...
05/07/2026

We're just one week away from Dream Delivery Service, a new co-production between Manual Cinema and UChicago TAPS!

Shows run May 15–17 at the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts ✨📠

Blending puppetry, projection, physical theater, clowning, and live cinema, the production follows a team of dream-workers who use overhead projectors, fax machines, Xerox copies, and other analog technologies to create dreams for an unseen Dreamer.

We hope you can make it!

Tickets 🎟️: https://tickets.uchicago.edu/Online/default.asp

Exciting news! 🤩Manual Cinema collaborated with acclaimed singer-songwriter Natalie Merchant, Chicago Children’s Theatre...
05/06/2026

Exciting news! 🤩

Manual Cinema collaborated with acclaimed singer-songwriter Natalie Merchant, Chicago Children’s Theatre, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra on a 16-part musical video series now streaming FREE online.

Explore the full series and educational materials at CabinetOfWonder.org.

In addition, the project continues live onstage with at Symphony Center in Chicago on Saturday, May 9, 2026. Please note: Manual Cinema will not be performing live as part of this event. The performance features pre-recorded shadow puppetry films.

Tickets: https://cso.org/performances/25-26/cso-for-kids/mother-goose-the-cabinet-of-wonder/

Hey Chicago friends, Dream Delivery Service opens next week! Shows run May 15–17 at the Reva and David Logan Center for ...
05/05/2026

Hey Chicago friends, Dream Delivery Service opens next week! Shows run May 15–17 at the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts.

Blending puppetry, projection, physical theater, clowning, and live cinema, this co-production with .uchicago runs for 3 nights only!

Purchase Tickets 🎟️: https://tickets.uchicago.edu/Online/default.asp

SYNPOSIS

A dedicated team of workers in white-collar shirts and ties assemble each night for a serious purpose: to create and deliver dreams to an unseen Dreamer. Using old-school overhead projectors, fax machines, Xerox copies, and other analog technologies, they create handmade visions that beguile, enchant, frighten, and captivate. But as the night goes on, the Dreamer begins to lose their ability to dream, and the dream-workers find themselves threatened by a powerful new technology.

New show alert! 📠✨ We’re excited to announce Dream Delivery Service, a new co-production between Manual Cinema and the U...
04/28/2026

New show alert! 📠✨ We’re excited to announce Dream Delivery Service, a new co-production between Manual Cinema and the University of Chicago.

A dedicated team of workers in white-collar shirts and ties assemble each night for a serious purpose: to create and deliver dreams to an unseen Dreamer. Using old-school overhead projectors, fax machines, Xerox copies, and other analog technologies, they create handmade visions that beguile, enchant, frighten, and captivate. But as the night goes on, the Dreamer begins to lose their ability to dream, and the dream-workers find themselves threatened by a powerful new technology.

Blending puppetry, projection, physical theater, clowning, and live cinema, Dream Delivery Service premieres May 14–17 at the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts.

Tickets: https://tinyurl.com/yvsxy5yk

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2203 W 21st Street
Chicago, IL
60608

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