Manual Cinema


Manual Cinema is a performance collective, design studio, and film/video production company founded in Chicago, Illinois, in 2010, by Drew Dir, Sarah Fornace, Ben Kauffman, Julia Miller, and Kyle Vegter. Manual Cinema combines handmade shadow puppetry, vintage overhead projectors, live feed cameras, cinematic techniques, sound effects and live music to create film and theatre works.

Leadership

Co-Artistic Directors and Staff:
  • Drew Dir, Co-Artistic Director, writer, director, puppet designer
  • Sarah Fornace, Co-Artistic Director, director, puppeteer, choreographer, narrative designer
  • Ben Kauffman, Co-Artistic Director, composer, director, interactive media artist
  • Julia Miller, Co-Artistic Director, director, puppeteer, designer
  • Kyle Vegter, Co-Artistic Director, composer, producer, sound designer

Recognition

The company was awarded an Emmy in 2017 for The Forger, a video created for The New York Times and named Chicago Artists of the Year in 2018 by the Chicago Tribune. In 2020 they were included in 50 of Chicago theater "Rising Stars and Storefront Stalwarts".
Their shadow puppet animations were featured in the 2021 film remake of Candyman, directed by Nia DaCosta and produced by Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions. In September 2014, the group traveled to Tehran, Iran to present their piece, Ada/Ava at a puppet festival.
In 2022 they premiered Leonardo! A Wonderful Show About A Terrible Monster, an adaptation of two books by celebrated children's author Mo Willems and a live adaptation of their 2020 streaming hit A Christmas Carol.

Works by genre

Theater

The 4th Witch Leonardo! A Wonderful Show About A Terrible Monster Manual Cinema's Christmas Carol The Magic City No Blue Memories FrankensteinAda/Ava Moholy-Nagy: The Electric Stage Monday or Tuesday Mementos Mori Hänsel Und Gretel Head in the Cloud Lula Del Ray The End of TV Mariko's Magical Mix Peter Pan Beijing
  • ''Mr. and Mrs. Pennyworth''

Film

Future Feeling Poetry Out Loud Candyman Leonardo and Sam* The Film! Scout's Honor Multitudes Obits City on Fire: Chicago 1871All of them WitchesWe Real Cool Oedipus RexPoemThree WWI PoemsFloridamanInvisibiliaChicagoland Gabriel Kahane - Bradbury Move Many 8BB - Meanwhile
  • ''La Celestina''

Music

The Forger My Soul's ShadowJust a Dog No Blue MemoriesPoetry Out Loud Leonardo! A Wonderful Show About A Terrible MonsterFuture Feeling Leonardo and Sam* The Film!MultitudesScout's HonorThe End of TVThe Magic CityInvisibiliaLula Del RayAda/AvaPoemObits
  • ''Three WWI Poems''