With puppets, projectors and live performances, Manual Cinema creates surreal movies as the audience watches the process unfold. Video shot and edited by Eric Krupke The black silhouette of a girl’s ...

Pay no attention to the men and women behind the curtain. Strike that: Look at them the whole time if you like. The wizards underneath the screen at Manual Cinema stage elaborate “live films” using ...

Remember how you used to make shadow rabbits on a wall? Picture a stage filled with vintage overhead projectors creating shadows from paper and acetate figures, interacting with live actors and ...

A scene from a rehearsal of “My Soul’s Shadow,” a performance by Manual Cinema that blends music, shadow puppetry and the poems of Federico Garcia Lorca. O Miami/Manual Cinema It could have been a ...

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is taking on a new form this week at the University of Chicago, thanks to an alumni-led performance collective that turns shadow puppetry into a cinematic experience.

“Scene of Souls in Hell” (19th century), donkey skin; Shaanxi, China (all images courtesy Museu do Oriente) LISBON — Asian shadow theater is catnip for those with energetic imaginations. Its ...

We need your help to raise $120,000 by December 31. Will you make a donation to our nonprofit newsroom to help power your source for Minnesota news in 2026 and beyond? If you’re over a certain age, ...

Centuries before haunted house attractions or horror films, audiences thrilled to magic lantern shows. Also known as phantasmagorias, these performances featured hand-painted glass slides illuminated ...