The Little Girl and the Old Woman. Photo by Katie Doyle.
Presented by ArtsEmerson,
A Manual Cinema Production
Concept & Direction by Drew Dir
Devised by Drew Dir, Sarah Fornace & Julia Miller
Original Score & Sound Design by Ben Kauffman & Kyle Vegter
Puppet / Silhouette Design by Drew Dir
Mask Design: Julia Miller
Lighting Design: David Goodman‑Edberg
Costume / Wig Design: Sully Ratke
Musicians: Caroline Jesalva, Lia Kohl, Lucy Little, Alicia Walter
October 30 – November 9, 2025
Emerson Paramount Center
Robert J. Orchard Stage
559 Washington Street
Boston, MA 02111
Content: Recommended for Ages 12+
Duration: Approximately 65 minutes, no intermission
Critique by Kitty Drexel
BOSTON — Manual Cinema’s The 4th Witch shows its audience Shakespeare’s Macbeth from the perspective of a novice witch. Eastern Europe, WWII: Macbeth (Jeffrey Paschal) is a giant, faceless monster in a Nazi uniform and a gas mask. The French countryside is his battleground. A happy little girl’s (Sarah Fornace) life is changed forever as Macbeth’s fascist army tears through her home, destroying goodness at every turn. In her search for safety, the girl falls ill and barely escapes Macbeth’s soldiers with her life. An old woman (Julia Miller, Lizi Breit & Leah Casey), who is more than she seems, takes in the girl, nurses her back to health, and teaches her the ways of the forest. Her lessons include cooking, herbal remedies, and unlocking her potential witchcraft through the power of feminine rage.
Manual Cinema is a well-oiled puppetry and Foley machine. In sequences so sharp and smooth it is difficult to believe they are not pre-animated, puppeteers create the world of The 4th Witch using overhead projectors, slides, silhouette cutouts, a silk screen and lamp, and face masks. Rather, the performing artists are like a human Rube Goldberg machine, using simple tools to create extravagant theatre for a captivated audience. We were rapt on Thursday evening as Manual Cinema’s crew compelled us into The 4th Witch’s world of magic mushrooms, monstrous villains, and cerberus-like gatekeepers.
This production details the costs of war on humanity’s most vulnerable citizens through themes from folktales such as “Little Red Ridinghood,” “Goldilocks and the Three Bears,” and Goethe’s “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.” Audience members will recognize their immortal lessons: Don’t talk to predatory strangers in the woods; don’t take what isn’t yours to take; and false confidence will destroy you. One of the production’s newer themes is the destructive power of unchecked feminine rage. As in the Shakespeare, Macbeth’s unhinged hubris brings about the future he wishes to prevent. When he looks at the little girl, he sees someone to squash, not a formidable foe. Macbeth causes his own downfall by dismissing the little girl. It is as if The 4th Witch’s creators are saying, We ignore girls and the women they grow into at our own risk. Take a look at the news. It’s a mightily topical theme in the U.S. right now.
The 4th Witch is short. At 65 minutes, it lasts just over an hour and is not your typical storytelling fare. Folks searching for quality of artistry over quantity of time need look no further. Manual Cinema’s The 4th Witch shows us what is possible with ingenuity and extraordinary design.
Ages 12+ are recommended for understanding Manual Cinema’s complex artistry. Younger audience members may not be captivated by the finer workings of the artists’ puppetry.
Puppet Time: Every performance of The 4th Witch will be followed by Puppet Time! Puppet Time invites young and adult audience members to come up on stage and play with the materials Manual Cinema uses to create this magical show.
