{"id":110781,"date":"2025-11-24T13:52:57","date_gmt":"2025-11-24T21:52:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forallevents.com\/reviews\/?p=110781"},"modified":"2025-11-26T16:12:48","modified_gmt":"2025-11-27T00:12:48","slug":"manual-cinemas-the-4th-witch-at-cal-performances","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forallevents.com\/reviews\/manual-cinemas-the-4th-witch-at-cal-performances\/","title":{"rendered":"Manual Cinema’s The 4th Witch at Cal Performances!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Review by Jo Tomalin
\n<\/span>For All Events\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Cal Performances: Manual Cinema’s The 4th Witch<\/span>
\nPhoto: Courtesy of Manual Cinema \/artists<\/span>
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Manual Cinema, an Emmy Award-winning performance collective, design studio, and film production company from Chicago, performed their latest show, The 4th<\/sup> Witch on November 22nd<\/sup> 2025 at Zellerbach Hall presented by Cal Performances, Berkeley, USA. <\/span><\/p>\n

The 4th<\/sup> Witch is an immediately immersive experience that incorporates, shadow play, shadow puppets, actors in silhouette, live music and sound. Told without words, the story is about a young girl whose home and family are taken away from her during wartime by General Macbeth and she needs to fend for herself. Running to a forest she finds refuge and sanctuary for a while – and discovers through her dreams that she is the newest apprentice to the three witches from Shakespeare\u2019s Macbeth.<\/span><\/p>\n

Manual Cinema\u2019s shows are always fascinating and The 4th<\/sup> Witch is highly accomplished in its visual storytelling with the integration of shadow puppets and actors in silhouette. Using a row of several old school overhead projectors and hundreds of flat page size hand made shadow puppets, the puppeteers transition into silhouette characters on the large screen above in a flash! This makes it possible for the finely crafted paper shadow play characters to suddenly move realistically in short scenes, to take the story forward in an almost animated way. The live blending of these techniques is astoundingly precise, imaginative and breathtaking!<\/span><\/p>\n

\"ImageCal Performances: Manual Cinema<\/span>
\nPhoto Credit: Katie Doyle<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Music <\/span>and sound effects <\/span>underscore the show <\/span>throughout and<\/span> are <\/span>a vital<\/span> element of <\/span>the <\/span>storytelling, <\/span>c<\/span>omposed by <\/span>Ben Kauffman<\/span> who is also co-artistic director of Manual Cinema. <\/span>Three musicians play live throughout the show: <\/span>Erica Kremer: cello and vocals; Lucy Little: violin and vocals; Alicia Walter: <\/span>keys, guitar and vocals.<\/span> These bold m<\/span>usic and sound effect choices complete the story by adding to the atmosphere, drama and intrigue. The sophisticated music score and outstanding musicians are a perfect match for the <\/span>wondrous <\/span>concept, <\/span>puppet <\/span>design <\/span>and direction<\/span> by <\/span>co-deviser and co-artistic director <\/span>Drew Dir,<\/span> and <\/span>the<\/span> impressive cast: <\/span>Leah Casey: W<\/span>itch, <\/span>p<\/span>uppeteer; Kara Davidson: W<\/span>itch, <\/span>p<\/span>uppeteer; Sarah Fornace: G<\/span>irl, <\/span>p<\/span>uppeteer, <\/span>c<\/span>o-<\/span>d<\/span>eviser, <\/span>c<\/span>o-<\/span>a<\/span>rtistic <\/span>d<\/span>irector; Julia Miller: L<\/span>ead W<\/span>itch, <\/span>p<\/span>uppeteer, <\/span>c<\/span>o-<\/span>d<\/span>eviser, <\/span>s<\/span>ilhouette <\/span>m<\/span>asks, <\/span>c<\/span>o-<\/span>a<\/span>rtistic <\/span>d<\/span>irector; Jeffrey Paschal: Macbeth, <\/span>p<\/span>uppeteer.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In concert with<\/span>\u00a0shadow play\u00a0techniques<\/span>\u00a0in other parts of the world, puppeteers and musicians are all in full view of the audience\u00a0throughout the show. Therefore, we can\u00a0not only\u00a0watch the shadow play story above the stage on a huge screen –\u00a0but\u00a0also see<\/span>\u00a0the many shadow puppets creating evocative imagery carefully placed on projectors by the puppeteers on the stage. It\u2019s so fascinating<\/span>\u00a0when<\/span>\u00a0actors<\/span>\u00a0quickly move into place donning a hint of a costume or mask that evokes each live character\u00a0through their silhouette!\u00a0The movement quality of the paper characters and silhouetted actor characters is finely tuned and realistic, with\u00a0great\u00a0attention to detail to create both human and shadow puppet gestures, posture and angles of the head\u00a0to communicate the wordless story. The color palette of The 4<\/span>th<\/span><\/sup>\u00a0Witch is very interesting –\u00a0in<\/span>\u00a0black and white and in between tones,\u00a0plus a few<\/span>\u00a0strategic choices of red and green,\u00a0all\u00a0appropriate to the story and its setting.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

With lead commissioning support from Spoleto Festival, USA and co-commissioning support from Cal Performances, ArtsEmerson (Boston MA). The 4<\/span>th<\/sup><\/span>\u00a0Witch is also part of\u00a0Cal Performances\u2019<\/span>Illuminations<\/u><\/em>: \u201cExile & Sanctuary<\/u>\u201d <\/span><\/a>programming for the 2025\u201326 season.<\/span><\/p>\n

The\u00a04<\/span>th<\/sup>\u00a0Witch is a\u00a0sixty five minute show without intermission\u00a0that\u00a0is a richly visual, intense, sensory feast of inspired artistry and vibrant storytelling from Manual Cinema. 5 Stars! Do not miss it!<\/span><\/p>\n

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M<\/span><\/span>ore Information:
\n<\/span><\/span>Cal Performances
\n<\/span><\/span>https:\/\/calperformances.org\/<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Manual Cinema
\n<\/span><\/span><\/strong>https:\/\/manualcinema.com\/<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Review by Jo Tomalin For All Events\u00a0   Cal Performances: Manual Cinema’s The 4th Witch Photo: Courtesy of Manual Cinema \/artists   Manual Cinema, an Emmy Award-winning performance collective, design…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"yasr_overall_rating":5,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[143,715,986,988,987,125],"class_list":{"0":"post-110781","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-jo-tomalin","7":"tag-cal-performances","8":"tag-jo-tomalin","9":"tag-manual-cinema","10":"tag-review","11":"tag-the-4th-witch","12":"tag-zellerbach-hall"},"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":true,"span_bottom":"