Manual Cinema
The 4th Witch
Inspired by Macbeth
A Cal Performances Co-commission
Bay Area Premiere
The 4th Witch follows a young girl, orphaned during wartime, who becomes unwittingly apprenticed to the three witches from Shakespeare’s Macbeth. As the truth of her family’s fate is revealed, she must choose between paths of reconciliation and vengeance. Told without text—like a silent film coming to life on stage—the story explores themes of war and generational conflict through shadow puppetry, actors in silhouette, immersive sound design, and live music.
“Manual Cinema has created a whole new art form. In a digital world, this beguiling analog throwback…has proved enormously popular” (Chicago Tribune).
This event is part of Cal Performances’ Illuminations: “Exile & Sanctuary” programming for the 2025–26 season.
Run time for this performance is approximately 1 hour and 5 minutes without intermission
There is a $15 per order service charge on single ticket purchases that partially underwrites the cost of our ticketing platform, credit card processing, Ticket Office staffing, and ticket delivery. To avoid this fee, tickets can be purchased in person at our Ticket Office during our regular office hours. Note: there is a $20 service charge for all subscription orders.
Related Illuminations Event
Manual Cinema
The 4th Witch
Post-performance Q&A
Sat, Nov 22, immediately following the performance
Zellerbach Auditorium Stage
Free and open to performance ticket holders
In this post-performance Q&A, Shannon Jackson, UC Berkeley’s Cyrus and Michelle Hadidi Professor of the Arts & Humanities and Department Chair of History of Art, will moderate a conversation with Manual Cinema. The discussion will include a behind-the-scenes look at the technical and artistic elements that went into making The 4th Witch, and will elaborate on the performance’s connection to Cal Performances’ 2025–26 Illuminations theme, “Exile & Sanctuary.”
Watch
Beyond the Stage Related Posts
Manual Cinema
The 4th Witch
Inspired by Macbeth
A Cal Performances Co-commission
Bay Area Premiere
* There is a $15 per order service charge on ticket purchases made by phone or online that are not part of a subscription package, and a $20 service charge on all subscription orders. There is no fee for tickets purchased in person at the Zellerbach Hall Ticket Office unless they are part of a subscription. This fee helps to underwrite the cost of providing services online and by phone, as well as programs needed for digital order delivery.