The Magic City Show Program

PRODUCTION CREDITS

A Manual Cinema Production

Based on the novel by Edith Nesbit

Devised by Drew Dir, Sarah Fornace, Ben Kauffman and Julia Miller

Screenplay and Storyboards by Drew Dir and Sarah Fornace

Art Direction and Puppets by Drew Dir

Music, Lyrics, and Sound Design by Ben Kauffman

Additional Sound Design by Kyle Vegter

Assistant Sound Design by Spencer Meeks

Music Preparation by Nate Williams

Lighting Design by David Goodman-Edberg

Wig and Costume Design by Mieka van der Ploeg

Assistant Costume Design by Noël Huntzinger

Stage Manager and Board Operator Ryn Hardiman

CAST

Brandon Boler (Brandon, Puppeteer)

Ellie Duffey (Philomena, Puppeteer Jan 25 - Feb 9)

Julia Miller (Helen, Puppeteer)

Jeffrey Paschal (Lucas, Puppeteer)

Alicia Walter (Narrator, Vocals, Keys)

Alternate Cast

Kasey Foster (Puppeteer, January 27-Feb 1)

Sarah Fornace (Philomena, Puppeteer Feb 9-16)

Representation:

Elsie Management

Laura Colby, President

Anna Amadei, Vice President

www.elsieman.org

TEL: 718 797 4577

Originally commissioned by Chicago Children's Theatre.

Dedicated to the memory of our dear friend, Linsey Falls.

Manual Cinema Company Bio

Manual Cinema is an Emmy Award winning performance collective, design studio, and film/video production company founded in 2010 by Drew Dir, Sarah Fornace, Ben Kauffman, Julia Miller, and Kyle Vegter. Manual Cinema combines handmade shadow puppetry, cinematic techniques, and innovative sound and music to create immersive stories for stage and screen.

Using vintage overhead projectors, multiple screens, puppets, actors, live feed cameras, multi-channel sound design, and a live music ensemble, Manual Cinema transforms the experience of attending the cinema and imbues it with liveness, ingenuity, and theatricality. 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. Their shadow puppet animations are featured in the film remake of Candyman, directed by Nia DaCosta and produced by Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions. Recent productions include Leonardo! A Wonderful Show about a Terrible Monster, based on books by Mo Willems, and an adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.

In 2023, Manual Cinema completed production on their first self produced short film, Future Feeling, and toured with folk rock band Iron & Wine in 2024.

CAST BIOS

Brandon Boler (Brandon, Puppeteer) is a Chicago based Actor, and is excited to be working on Manual Cinema’s production of “The Magic City.” Brandon is a SAG-AFTRA member, and a Company member with Invictus Theatre Co Chicago. While at Invictus, he has been featured in their Jeff Award winning production of “RUINED” by Lynn Nottage, as Jerome Kisembe, and recently as Rohdé in their Jeff Recommended production of Anton Chekhov’s “3 Sisters.” He is also currently featured on a new Podcast entitled “Psychopompos: A New Myth,” a re-telling of the Greek Mythologies. Season 1 is now available on all major Podcast streaming services. Brandon would like to thank Sarah, and the Manual Cinema team for inviting him to be a part of this magical production, as well as his reps at BMG talent, and you for supporting the Arts. For more information about Brandon please follow him at www.BrandonBoler.com, or on Instagram @brandboler.

Ellie Duffey (Philomena, Puppeteer) is super excited to step into her first show with Manual Cinema and thrilled to be performing at Chicago Children’s theatre! Recent Chicago credits include Happy Days are Here Again (Steep Theatre) and the upcoming world premiere Berlin (Court Theatre) She would like to thank Julia, Sarah, and Drew for all their help and hard work and she feels beyond lucky to be a part of the magic! Love to Mom, Dad, Clair, and Evan.

Sarah Fornace (Philomena, Puppeteer, Screenplay and Storyboards, Co-Deviser, MC Co-Artistic Director) is a director, puppeteer, choreographer, and narrative designer based in Chicago. She is a co-Artistic Director of Manual Cinema. Outside of Manual Cinema, Sarah has worked as a performer or choreographer with Redmoon Theatre, Lookingglass Theatre Company, Court Theatre, Steppenwolf Garage, and Blair Thomas and Co. Most recently, Sarah wrote the story mode for the video game Rivals of Aether. In 2017, she directed and edited the first episode of the web series, The Doula is IN. In 2016, she directed and devised an "animotion" production of Shakespeare's Hamlet with Rokoko Studios for HamletScen at Kromborg Castle in Elsinore, Denmark.

Kasey Foster (Puppeteer) is a performer, choreographer, producer, and puppeteer in Chicago. Most recently, Kasey appeared on stage in The Steadfast Tin Soldier, at Lookingglass Theatre, and on camera in IFC's Documentary Now!. Kasey sings with local bands Grood, Babe-alon 5, Old Timey, This Must be the Band, and a mysteriously nameless private events band. She has created over forty original works, and produces two annual series called Dance Tribute and The ACTual Show. Kasey is an Ensemble Member at Lookingglass Theatre, and a member of Actors Equity Association.

Julia Miller (Helen, Puppeteer, Co-Deviser, MC Co-Artistic Director) is a director, puppeteer, and puppet designer. With Manual Cinema she has directed Mementos Mori and The End of TV as well as created original roles in Frankenstein (The Creature/Elizabeth), Ada/Ava (Ada), Lula del Ray (Lula's Mother), The Magic City (Helen), and Hansel und Gretel (Hansel). In Chicago, she has worked as a performer and puppeteer with Redmoon Theatre and Blair Thomas and Co. She spent several years training in devised theatre, clown and mask with Double Edge Theatre, Carlos García Estevez and at the Accademia dell'Arte in Arezzo, Italy.

Jeffrey Paschal (Lucas, Puppeteer) is originally from a town called Corning in Upstate New York. In 2012 Jeff moved to Chicago to go to school at Northwestern University where he majored in Theatre. At Northwestern Jeff was involved with several theatre productions including Fabulation directed by Jerrell Henderson and Anna in the Tropics directed by Henry Godinez as well as directing and producing several short films through the school's RTVF program. Jeff graduated from Northwestern with a B.S. in Theatre in 2016. He currently lives in Chicago and is represented by Gray Talent Group.

Alicia Walter (Narrator, Vocals, Keys) is a singer-songwriter, composer, and pianist from Chicago. Known for her “near-cosmic voice” (WIRED) and “stratosphere of songwriting all her own” (Consequence of Sound), Walter has released two celebrated albums under her own name: Right Noise (BIG EGO Records 2023) and I Am Alicia (Sooper Records 2021). In 2024, she performed in venues across the US and Europe, most recently alongside artists Veronica Swift and Danielle Ponder. Her music has been featured in nationally syndicated TV shows, including NBC hit drama, “This Is Us,” and “All Rise.” Walter rose to acclaim as bandleader of beloved Chicago-based art rock group, Oshwa.

STAFF & CREATIVE TEAM BIOS

Drew Dir (Screenplay and Storyboards, Art Direction and Puppets, Co-Deviser, MC Co-Artistic Director) is a writer, director, and puppet designer. Previously, he served as the Resident Dramaturg of Court Theatre and a lecturer in theater and performance studies at the University of Chicago. He holds a master’s degree in Text and Performance Studies from King’s College London and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

David Goodman-Edberg (Lighting Design) is delighted to be collaborating with Manual Cinema on such a wondrous and important piece. Chicago area work has included Tabletop Tragedies (Cabinet of Curiosity); American Catracho (Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre); the 35th and 40th anniversary holiday concerts of the Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus; Judy’s Life’s Work (Definition); Until the Flood (Fleetwood-Jourdain); The Pillowman (Gift Theatre); Ruddigore (Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Co.); The Silence in Harrow House, The Stranger and the Shadow (Rough House); Passing Strange, Never Better (Theo); and numerous designs with Visceral Dance. REGIONAL: La Cenerentola (Bay View Music Festival); numerous designs with Eisenhower Dance Detroit; Suor Angelica & Gianni Schicchi (Opera Idaho); Die Fledermaus! (Opera Mississippi); an annual holiday concert in Sitka, AK since 2022; and Centered (Water Street Dance Milwaukee). Other projects have included work at such theme parks as Chimelong Ocean Kingdom, Universal Studios Japan, Beijing & Hollywood. dglxdesign.com

Ryn Hardiman (Stage Manager and Board Operator) is a Chicago-based artist, technician, designer, and stage manager. In addition to touring as a Stage Manager with Manual Cinema., Ryn also works in the Video, Lighting, and Stage Crew departments at Blue Man Group Chicago and works as an AV Technician at The Art Institute of Chicago.

Noël Huntzinger (Assistant Costume Design) hails from Tulsa, Oklahoma and is a graduate of Oklahoma University. Noël is an artistic associate at Sideshow Theatre Company and a resident artist at Filament Theatre and at Interrobang Theatre. Noël designed the 2016 New Stages at The Goodman: Blue Skies Process and Support Group for Men. Noël wrapped her first full-length film design- 'Olympia: an Instruction Manual for Everything' in the summer.

Ben Kauffman (Music, Lyrics, and Sound Design, Co-Deviser, MC Co-Artistic Director) is a Chicago-based composer, director, interactive media artist and co-Artistic Director of Manual Cinema. His film and interactive work has been shown at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion (Chicago), the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum (Chicago), the University of Wisconsin and CUNY’s Baruch College (NYC). He has lectured at The Metropolitan Museum of Art's MediaLab, New York University and Parsons the New School of Design. His past composer credits with Manual Cinema include Ada/Ava, The End of TV and the New York Times documentary The Forger. He holds a Master’s degree from New York University’s Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP).

Spencer Meeks (Assistant Sound Design) is a multidisciplinary artist, writing, designing, performing, playing, singing, and working around the Chicago theater and DIY scene. They are a company member with the Neo Futurists working in various capacities on productions such as The Infinite Wrench, Switchboard (Steppenwolf Lookout), Cult Show, The NF Sell Out, Food Show, Pop/Waits, Saturn Returns. They’ve also done design work with Dean Evans, Vanessa Valliere, Dave Maher, Strawdog, and Music Direction for Haven Theater, Theater Wit, among others.

Mieka van der Ploeg (Wig and Costume Design) Theatre credits include designs with Steppenwolf, Goodman Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Soho Playhouse, Great Lakes Theater, Idaho Shakespeare Festival, American Players Theatre, Court Theater, People’s Light, Writers Theatre, Lyric Opera Unlimited, Lookingglass Theatre, Paramount Theatre, Marriott Theatre, Florentine Opera, Remy Bumppo, Second City, Chicago Children’s Theatre,Redmoon, The Hypocrites, Children's Theatre of Charlotte, About Face Theatre, Steep Theatre, Theater Wit, Theatre Squared, Albany Park Theater Project, Manual Cinema, and the Under the Radar Festival at The Public Theatre. She won a Joseph Jefferson award in 2020 for First Love is the Revolution, at Steep Theatre. She is a proud union member of both USA829 and IATSE Local 764.

Kyle Vegter (Additional Sound Design, MC Co-Artistic Director) is a composer, producer, sound designer, and Managing Artistic Director of Manual Cinema. As a composer of concert music he’s been commissioned by such groups as The Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s MusicNOW series, The Pacific Northwest Ballet, and TIGUE. His music and sound design for theater and film has been performed worldwide and commissioned by the New York Times, NPR’s Invisibilia, Topic (First Look Media), the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, StoryCorps, The Art Institute of Chicago, The Poetry Foundation, Hubbard Street Dance, the O, Miami Poetry Festival, and others. His past Composer/ Sound Designer credits with Manual Cinema include Lula Del Ray, Ada/ Ava, FJORDS, Mementos Mori, The End of TV and various other performance and video projects. He has been an artist in residence at High Concept Laboratories, and co-founded Chicago’s only contemporary classical music cassette label Parlour Tapes+.

Nate V Williams (Music Preparation) is a musician and storyteller based in Chicago. With a dynamic background spanning composition, orchestration, and cello performance, he crafts powerful soundscapes for film, television, and video games. After graduating from Brigham Young University with a degree in Commercial Music, Nate went on to pursue an MFA in Music Composition for the Screen at Columbia College Chicago. Nate had the opportunity to provide orchestration, music preparation, and conducting services for recording sessions at prestigious venues such as East West Studios. His original compositions include music for the animation film Frankie at Columbia College Chicago, and the video game Solar Showdown at Brigham Young University. Beyond the studio, he finds joy in family life, residing in Chicago with his wife and son, cherishing the simple moments that inspire his music.