Nov 10, 2026 Manual Cinema’s The 4th Witch

“This Chicago troupe is conjuring phantasms to die for ...” —Ben Brantley, The New York Times

Manual Cinema’s The 4th Witch is a fantastic new tale, inspired by elements of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, in which a girl escapes war and flees into a dark forest. Told through shadow puppetry, actors in silhouette, and live music, The 4th Witch begins on the eve of an invasion of a small town by the local warlord, Macbeth. The girl flees and escapes into the nearby forest, where she is rescued by a witch, who adopts her as an apprentice. As she becomes more skilled in witchcraft, her grief draws her into a quest against the warlord Macbeth.

The 4th Witch, an inversion of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, explores themes of grief, war, and generational conflict through the collateral damage left behind on the battleground.

Manual Cinema is an Emmy Award-winning performance collective and studio, combining handmade shadow puppetry, cinematic techniques, and innovative sound and music to create immersive stories for stage and screen.