A silhouette of a small girl stands alone, surrounded by dark, twisted tree branches that form a circular frame, creating a sense of isolation and eeriness.
A stage with musicians performing beside a screen showing a shadowy figure with pointed ears and a red, smoky background, evoking a dramatic atmosphere.
Three people in dark, dramatic costumes and red headscarves perform on stage with eerie lighting. Shadows and dried herbs hang in the background, creating a mysterious atmosphere.

Manual Cinema: The 4th Witch

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ABOUT

Cameras roll, hands reach in, a shadow becomes a forest, a scrap of cardboard becomes a castle. You watch the movie get made. On a table full of overhead projectors, paper puppets, and tiny sets, the artists of Manual Cinema build Macbeth shot by shot in front of you, and a finished film assembles itself on the screen above. 

The story starts where Shakespeare’s play ends. A girl loses her home and family to war, runs into the woods, and is taken in by three witches who feed her hunger for revenge on the warlord who did it. Shakespeare’s tragedy unfolds somewhere offstage; The 4th Witch keeps its eye on the child left in the wreckage, and along the way, a taste for blood passes from one generation to the next. It is strange, handmade, and beautiful.

ADVISORY
Recommended for ages 12 and up. There are loud sounds and flashing lights.

RUN TIME
65 minutes

Three reasons to go

SEE THE MAGIC HAPPEN – A jaw-dropping feat of live cinema, where the world of objects, projectors, cameras, and musicians is assembled in front of you.

MORE THAN A CLASSIC – A wordless, image-driven fable that needs no familiarity with Shakespeare and rewards those who know him well with a fresh angle of vision.

CHICAGO’S FINEST – From the Emmy-winning Chicago collective whose film work includes animation for Jordan Peele’s Candyman.

THE ARTISTS

Manual Cinema

Manual Cinema

CREATIVE CREDITS

PRODUCTION
A Manual Cinema Production
Concept and Direction: Drew Dir
Devised: Drew Dir, Sarah Fornace and Julia Miller
Original Score and Sound Design: Ben Kauffman and Kyle Vegter
Storyboards and Puppet Design: Drew Dir
Lighting Design: David Goodman-Edberg
Costume and Wig Design: Sully Ratke
Silhouette Masks: Julia Miller
Costume Assistant: Griffin DiStasi
Puppet Build Assistant: Caitlin McLeod
Sound Engineer: Mike Usrey
Stage Manager and Board Operator: Ryn Hardiman & Kyle Vegter
Creative Producer: Laura Colby

ORIGINAL CAST
Puppeteers:
Lizi Breit: Mother, Witch, Girl
Leah Casey: Father, Witch, Girl
Sarah Fornace: Girl
Julia Miller: Lead Witch
Jeffrey Paschal: Macbeth, Soldier
Musicians:
Lucy Little: Violin, Vocals
Lia Kohl: Cello, Vocals
Alicia Walter: Keys, Lead Vocals

ADDITIONAL CAST
Puppeteers:
Kara Davidson: Mother, Witch, Girl
Mia Hilt: Girl
Myra Su: Lead Witch
Musicians:
Emma Hospelhorn: Keys, Lead Vocals
Caroline Jesalva: Violin, Vocals
Erica Kremer: Cello, Vocals

GALLERY

BEYOND THE STAGE
Two people’s silhouettes appear on a red background. One figure, possibly female, holds a crown, while the other wears a spiked crown and a gas mask. The scene is dramatic and theatrical.

Study Guides

Manual Cinema: The 4th Witch

Prep School: The 4th Witch

Learn More

PRESS

POWERFUL…You have the sensation that you’re seeing art in the process of being born.

Don Aucoin, The Boston Globe (on THE 4TH WITCH) Don Aucoin, The Boston Globe (on THE 4TH WITCH)

a dark work, full of pain and loss, but the darkness lifts

Laura Collins-Hughes, The New York Times (on THE 4TH WITCH) Laura Collins-Hughes, The New York Times (on THE 4TH WITCH)

SUPPORT

NYU Skirball’s programs are made possible in part with support from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature; and the Howard Gilman Foundation; Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels; Culture Ireland; The Shubert Foundation; Collins Building Services; General Delegation of the Government of Flanders to the USA; Goethe Institut New York with support from the Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany; Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation; Fan Fox & Leslie R. Samuels Foundation; New England Foundation for the Arts; Harkness Foundation for Dance; and Marta Heflin Foundation; as well as our valued donors through memberships, commissioning, and Allies for Arts Access Fund support.

This project is made possible in part with support from the NYU Gallatin Fund for Classics and the Contemporary.

NYU Gallatin logo with a purple square torch icon on the left and “NYU GALLATIN” text in purple and black on the right.