Dec 13–Dec 29
Jan 08–Mar 09
Leonardo!

Minneapolis, MN

Jan 25–Feb 16
The Magic City

Chicago, IL

Mar 01–Mar 02
The Magic City

Costa Mesa, CA

Mar 28–Apr 06
Leonardo!

Washington, D.C.

Manual Cinema hand Maren Celst

My Soul's Shadow

Manual Cinema’s My Soul’s Shadow is a cinematic shadow puppet show and immersive installation based on the poetry of Federico García Lorca. The shadow projections are created using six overhead projectors, five puppeteers, two screens, and dozens of handmade paper shadow puppets. Original music by Kyle Vegter is performed live by a chamber ensemble. The installation includes projections of Lorca’s poetry, interactive rotary phones that allow audience members to hear readings of Lorca’s verse, and a collection of other curious objects for people to explore.

Premiered in 2015

Commissioned by O'Miami Poetry Festival
Created by Manual Cinema
Base on the Poetry of Federico García Lorca
Directed by Sarah Fornace

My Soul’s Shadow loosely adapts imagery, themes, and characters from Lorca’s poetry, dividing his body of work into three acts. The first act is based on poems Lorca wrote early in his career in Granada and Madrid; many of these poems take inspiration from Spanish folk tradition, and are steeped in nature imagery, as well as portraits of Granada’s gypsy community. The second act is based on poems Lorca wrote while visiting New York City, and the third is based on The Divan Tamarit, which Lorca wrote near the end of his life, and which takes inspiration from the Arab-Andalusian poetic tradition. The performance of My Soul’s Shadow is bookended by the character of Lorca himself, and is based on biographical details of his life, including his ultimate imprisonment and assassination at the hands of Nationalist militia in the early days of the Spanish Civil War.

Made possible by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation

Credits

Commissioned by O'Miami Poetry Festival

Created by Manual Cinema

Base on the Poetry of Federico García Lorca

Directed by Sarah Fornace

Production

Text by Federico García Lorca

Translations by Catherine Brown, Greg Simon, and Steven F. White

Music Score and Sound Design by Kyle Vegter

Puppet Design by Drew Dir and Julia Miller

Installation Design by Ben Kauffman and Sarah Fornace

Custom Electronics by Andy Sigler

Associate Puppet Design by Lizi Breit

Live Sound Effects by Kyle Vegter

Sound Engineer and Production Manager: Mike Usrey

Puppeteers

Jose Nateras (Federico García Lorca )

Sam Duetsch

Charlotte Long

Diane Mair

Julia Miller

Music

Performed by the Nu Deco Ensemble

Aleksandr Zhuk, (violin)

Aaron Merrit (cello)

Daniel Velasco (flute)

Annabelle Hwang (clarinet)

Additional Cast

Kara Davidson (Puppeteer)

Ellen McSweeny (violin)

Alex Ellsworth (cello)

Deidre Huckaby (flute)

Zachary Good (clarinet)

sign up for our newsletter!