Cal Performances presents The 4th Witch, November 22, 2025 at Zellerbach Hall
(credit: Courtesy of Manual Cinema)
Witching Hour
The 4th Witch
Manual Cinema
Zellerbach Hall
University of California, Berkeley
Reviewed by Christopher Bernard
For (frustratingly) one lonely, tantalizing performance, Cal Performances, in co-commission and as part of its “Illuminations: Exile and Sanctuary” series, brought the bright good witches of Chicago’s Manual Cinema on a recent Saturday evening for a brew of witchery and magic that they, and they alone, are (in this apprentice wizard’s experience, anyway) uniquely qualified to provide.
I say frustratingly because I can’t understand how this company’s brilliant toilers, who spent a year creating a compact music-filled masterpiece of puppetry, handicraft, cinema and wonder, can’t have been given a full weekend among us: the hall was packed, riveted to marvels of stagecraft and story-telling, without a pixel or a bow to “slop” in sight, and few left for the fascinated Q&A that followed. When something this fine, brave, and wondrous blazes across the Bay Area’s sky like a comet blithely visiting from a neighboring universe, one can hardly settle for a single, dazzling show – no!
It’s not as if the company were new here and on probation: they brought us a scintillating Ada/Ava in the millennium before Covid (circa 2017, to be precise). The 4th Witch is even finer, and marks one of the peaks in Bay Area performance since then. For those new to Manual Cinema, a brief description may be in order. The creative heart of the company is given to inventing live performances of puppetry, hand-crafted backgrounds, body prostheses, and props and the techniques of shadow plays projected onto large screens and accompanied by live music.
One of the most intriguing aspects of the performance is that, rather than seeing only the end result onscreen, we also see, in the background onstage, the combined actions of actors, puppets, prop managers, projectors, and musicians as they bring the final result about. It’s a bit like a combination of Bunraku puppeteering and an open kitchen at a small five-star restaurant. Far from undermining the magic, it paradoxically makes the end result seem like pure alchemy, as the mind is cast into the liminal space between the quotidian reality and the magical effect. The result is a profoundly poetic form of animation that has the high-wire thrills of live performance.
The premise of Saturday’s show is as beautiful in its simplicity as it is timely without being brow-beating. As described by one of the members in the Q&A, they took a page from Tom Stoppard’s famous play from the 1960s, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, which retells the story of Hamlet through the eyes of his half-clueless, half-traitorous school fellows, and reimagined another famous play by the Bard – in this case, Macbeth , though, in keeping with sacred theatrical tradition, the tragedy is referred to onstage only as “the Scottish play”– from the point of view of one of the Thane of Cawdor’s victims.
The story is updated to an imaginary, mid-twentieth-century war in a French-speaking country, and the victim is a young girl whose parents run a little restaurant in a town piled up a steep, isolated hill, much like Mont-Saint-Michel on the Normandy coast of France. The girl’s parents are killed in a raid by Macbeth’s air force. The town is left in ruins, and she runs away after a futile attempt to bring down the mocking, glow-eyed, gas-masked, Darth Vader-like Macbeth by striking him with her stuffed bunny rabbit, her sole possession saved from the wreckage of her home.
Lost in the surrounding forest, wandering for days, reduced to hunger and rags, she discovers a mysterious house, where she is met by a sinister old woman who takes her in and sets her to work. The old lady turns out, naturally, to be a witch – indeed, she is one of three, magically embodied in the one, who have a mysterious relation to Macbeth and his powers, a relation that shall not be revealed here, for those seeking spoilers. After the girl, taking a sip of a spell-casting soup, has a sorcerer’s apprentice moment in the witch’s kitchen, the old one decides to teach her witches’ ways – a fourth to add to the three.
And the powers in magic that the girl gains – black as the night, from making magic potions from mushrooms of the forest, to night flying on broomsticks, to commanding daggers to fly to the hearts of their victims – feed the dreams she cultivates of revenge against the murderer of her parents. We’ll leave it at that.
Whoever knows “the Scottish play” can guess much, but not everything: not how famous elements of the play – from floating daggers to the bitter washing of hands, from the assassinations of kings to the executions of assassins – are mixed and blended, with imagination and wit, nor how the amalgam of the imaginary, the remembered, and the hoped for is finally annealed into a satisfying whole – a Gesamtkunstwerk (forgive my German) held light and bright, from acting as rich as a puppet’s to puppetry as nuanced as a great actor’s, to potently low-tech sound design and music from a trio of instrumentalists seconding as vocalists, to world-creating as lyrical and witty as it is suggestive of its own self-contained universe.
Play on, Manual Cinema! And blessed be those Who bring ye back for more than one more show!
Christopher Bernard is an award-winning poet, novelist, playwright, and essayist. His most recent book is The Beauty of Matter: A Pagan’s Verses for a Mystic Idler. 2025 is the twentieth anniversary of the publication of his celebrated debut novel, A Spy in the Ruins.
Welcome to November’s second issue of Synchronized Chaos Magazine! This month’s issue, Throughlines, contains a wide variety of submissions in a diverse array of styles on many different topics.
That said, there are a few common narrative motifs that emerge and return throughout this issue: pride in and reclaiming of culture, family, parental, and romantic love, artistic craft and creativity, and resilience and determination to achieve one’s dreams.
Olga Levadnaya reflects on how people build new memories and add to the fabric of history in elegant and old cities. Dr. Reda Abdel-Rahim highlights the wonder of the Great Egyptian Museum to showcase history and archaeology. Maftuna Rustamova regales us with her pride in her national Uzbek flag.
We can celebrate and take joy in cultures other than our own. Tourist Anna Keiko poetizes with grace and warmth on the beauty she finds in French society and culture. Maftuna Davlatova traces the development of tourism as an industry in Uzbekistan. Solijonova Dildorakhon outlines methods to improve the service and efficacy of Uzbekistan’s tourism industry.
Jacques Fleury reviews the Boston Center for the Arts’ production of Kim’s Convenience, a play about a Korean immigrant family’s convenience store that speaks to what it means to become a family and how that meaning changes over time.
Rustamova Shakhnoza’s poignant stories celebrate patience, dedication, and intergenerational family love. James Whitehead embraces his American girlfriend while contemplating American vintage art. Izabela Zubko plays in her poetry with love and memory. Royal Rhodes speaks in a reserved, thoughtful manner about memory and nostalgia: trick-or-treating, aging photos and furniture, notable storms.
Nozanin Bahodirova links the Uzbek language and the Uzbek culture, advocating the preservation of both. Zarina Murodova discusses possible roles for technology in language learning. Sevinch Hoshimova outlines advantages and disadvantages of online education and advocates for a balance between screens and traditional classrooms. Tuchiyeva Dilso’z discusses the emerging role of AI technology in student learning. Rayhona Nurdinjonova discusses potential roles for artificial intelligence in foreign language instruction. Kamolova Mashhura compares the possibilities and drawbacks of digital and in-person learning. Sotivoldiyeva Nargiza Shokirjon traces the effects of increased global migration and communications technologies on the field of linguistics. G’ulomova Rukhshona outlines evidence-based teaching methodologies for primary school students to learn their native languages.
Nurmetova Orzu points out the importance of and methods for teaching young children their native language. Dildora Saidjonova explores various methods to learn foreign languages. Khasanova Azizabonu highlights the presence of similar cognate words in English and Uzbek. Maftuna Hayitboyeva outlines the importance of grammar instruction in many different theories of language learning. G’afforova Hadichaxon highlights insights from philosophy that can inform and enhance language learning classrooms. Isaac Aju pays tribute to a special teacher who inspired his studies. Sobirjonova Rayhona pays tribute to a special teacher who possessed compassion and dedication. Jumanazarova Zuxra outlines fresh strategies for teaching language to young children.
Oynur Azimova speaks to the power of literature to inspire emotional resonance and creativity. Faleeha Hassan suggests ways to get beyond initial disinterest to find meaning in seemingly boring novels.
Horror writer Kandy Fontaine puts forth an artist’s manifesto about the complex female characters she creates and how that sets her apart from other writers. Alan Catlin contributes sketches of the soft and vulnerable underbelly of life: refugees, the homeless, bioluminescence, long-disused lighthouses, birds of prey without enough food. Luis Fernando Quiroz captures a witch at the very moment when her powers are interrupted at the break of dawn, revealing character while capturing a bit about the limits of anyone’s power in the face of a complex and cyclical world.
Shahina Olimova honors the poetic legacy of Uzbek writer Alexander Feinberg, who captured the national character and became internationally known. Odina Bahodirova also pays tribute to the legacy of Uzbek poet Alexander Feinberg: his attention to details of craft, his integration of feeling and form, his capturing of ordinary Uzbek life. Journalist Jakhongir Nomozov interviews Azerbaijani writer and academic Vuqar Akhmed about how childhood, patriotism, classic literature, and the methods of scientific research all inspire his own work and that of many other modern Azeri writers. Choriyeva Oynur celebrates the poetic heritage of Uzbek writer Zulfiya Isroilov and the tenderness and beauty of her work.
Abdukahhorova Gulhayo honors the tender spirit of Otkir Hoshimov’s The Works of the World, a collection of short stories about mothers. Zarina O’rinboyeva highlights the perseverance and accomplishments of a young and hardworking Uzbek girl and her caring mother. Hassan Musa Dakasku celebrates a mother’s love and kindness. Fiza Amir’s short story evokes the joy and wonder of maternal love and early childhood. Hassan Musa Dakasku celebrates a mother’s love and kindness. Shokhida Nazirova highlights the psychological and physical health benefits of breastfeeding for parents and infants. Abdukakhorova Gulhayo highlights Islamic teachings about respect for parents.
Moustapha Misau’s poetry celebrates romantic love, before and after death. James Tian urges us to love and bless and care for the living while we still have them with us. Tea Russo’s piece highlights the absence of a family member by showing us various unusual things and people included during a time of grief. Taylor Dibbert reflects on how he still misses his beloved dog London. Jelvin Gipson depicts a woman’s internal sorrow over a heartbreak.
Turkan Ergor reflects on how nothing lasts forever, a lesson illustrated in nature. Christina Chin’s haiku dramatize how nature continually changes: someone’s always moving, being born, or dying. Mahbub Alam revels in the beauty of nature, in the elegance of snails in a slough. Dessy Tsvetkova revels in going outdoors on a brilliant sunny day. Aura Echeverri Uribe laments the environmental destruction of a natural mountain landscape. Dildora Xojyozova discusses the growing consciousness of tourists about traveling to scenic areas in ways that respect and protect nature. Yangibiyeva Iroda emphasizes the need for student and public education on environmental protection. Brian Barbeito reflects on the state of peace he finds as a hiker in deserted brown fall marshlands. Sayani Mukherjee recollects the many sights and sounds of a grove of trees near the ocean.
Bill Tope’s feline narrator, Felix, chronicles his life and times with his favorite ‘two-leggers.’ Maria Cecilia Mazza describes the beginning of another cross-species emotional connection, between a human and a robot. Eva Petropoulou Lianou encourages us to preserve the core of what makes us human as artificial intelligence begins to take over human activities: love, friendship, and hope.
Adrina Esparas-Hope explores the multifaceted nature of the metaphorical human heart. Rus Khomutoff brings us to a state of ecstasy that just elides reason. Stykes Wildee incorporates a fresh and wild sound into his rock compositions. Mark Young’s artistry blends the carefully controlled and the wild and vast.
Harry Stammer plays with traditional format, assembling his work from an assortment of scrap punctuation and gathered semiotics. Patrick Sweeney regales us with morsels of short-form that inspire us to imagine a scene or mood. Ari Nystrom-Rice serenades us with a rollicking wave of party sound. Darren Demaree contributes a bit of whimsy to his Dickinson-esque poems for his wife Emily. Jim Meirose presents a hodgepodge of radio signal and static as sports players stop for a bit to listen.
Duane Vorhees poetizes in a longer format on history, mythology, and sensuality with a touch of whimsy. Tanisha Keefe describes various aspects of human relationships and love: steady friendship, recovery after abuse and loss, self-love and self-respect. Kassandra Aguilera steps out of the circus of a failed relationship that never materialized into what she hoped.
Eleanor Hill’s piece provides a dark and visceral take on Cinderella, illustrating stepping into a glass slipper that doesn’t fit. Daniela Chourio-Soto renders subjugation, repression, isolation, and immobilization into intense physical experiences. Nicholas Gunther describes a state of stasis, mental purgatory. J.J. Campbell brings his brand of wry sadness, humor, and resignation for a fresh set of poems. Habiba Malumfashi’s poetry explores how home can both welcome and embrace and trap and imprison. Khadija Ismail spotlights the pain many women endure due to intimate partner violence and urges us not to excuse it because of religion or culture. Bill Tope’s poem dramatizes the pain of sexual abuse survivors in a world denying them agency.
Dr. Jernail S. Anand highlights the value of compassionate and ethical living, causing no harm to self or others, as opposed to simple rule following. Perwaiz Shaharyar puts forth a plea to the world’s leaders to choose peace. Dr. Ashok Kumar calls for peace, unity, and oneness among humanity. Rand Morsy calls the world and humanity to peace. Andres Loriente acknowledges the unity of the world’s people, how we are more alike due to common experiences than we are different because of race. Dianne Reeves Angel’s short story illuminates how she began to understand and oppose the injustices in South Africa while in the country making what was going to be a glamorous film.
Najmiddinova Shahinabonu encourages us to pursue virtues such as perseverance, resilience, and family love, even more than we strive for riches. Luz Myriam Moreno Puerta speaks to overcoming rejection with perseverance. Zamira Moldiyeva Bahodirovna speculates on the psychology behind why we remember negative experiences more so than positive ones and encourages us to strive for mental and emotional balance. Wansoo Kim sends up poems of personal, social, and natural hope and renewal.
Zikrillo Latipov’s short story highlights the value of our hopes and dreams. Bekturdiyeva Nargizabonu emphasizes the importance of youth to society and therefore, the responsibilities of young people to learn and contribute. Aisha MLabo reflects on the inner drive and energy in the heart of a young person. Guzliebo Matniyozova rededicates herself to self-discipline and self-improvement as a writer and a student. Dilnoza Rakhimova celebrates her personal journey towards academic and professional success. Amonboyeva Shahnoza Yusupboy speaks to how one can build lifelong character through the habits one develops as a student. Dildora Toshtemirova urges people to have perseverance in pursuing their dreams.
Omonova Shakhzoda considers how extracurricular activities shape student leaders. Priyanka Neogi celebrates the many women joining the ranks of cricket players. Nidia Garcia speaks to an artistic partnership between a musician and her violin.
Z.I. Mahmud highlights the artistry of older American cinema, some iconic acting performances in particular. Actor and critic Federico Wardal spotlights the movie in which he most recently appears, Anita, which is being shown in San Francisco and receiving the Italian Courage for Freedom film award.
Film is one form of human creative endeavor, and there are many more we celebrate in this issue. Sotvoldiyeva Muslima affirms the crucial nature of the rule of law to a civilized society. Odilova Odinakhon discusses the need for lawyers to receive continuing education. Aziza Toshpo’latova goes in depth about the roles and responsibilities of translators and proposes ways to strengthen the field. Emran Emon presents himself to the world as a qualified international journalist. Boboqulova Durdona presents technical solutions for improving the efficiency of the electrical grid in Uzbekistan. Nordona Norqulova outlines problems with and suggests solutions for the administration of Uzbek public institutions.
Our knowledge can enhance our capacities for protection and wisdom as well as for expansive creation. Baxronova Vasila urges moderation in prescription of antibiotics to children. Nurboboyeva Dilshoda’s essay highlights strategies to intervene and lessen the risk of youth suicide in our age of social media. Nazirova Madinakhon outlines strategies for protecting our digital data from online miscreants.
O Human, master of all creation, Why do you ignite the malice within them? No plant is safe from your evils, Nor bird, nor land, nor human being, Even the universe complains of your arrogance.
*****O Human, be mindful! All that your hands destroy will demolish you. Return to your senses, and let us come together to build bridges of love for tomorrow. How many nights were lost in wars, And how many eyes spill tears, And hearts beg for safety, Pleading for peace to prevail upon the Earth. A peace that irrigates every heart, Dispels fear, and summons delight. If love spreads throughout the universe, goodness will reign. For in the palm of Peace, the gardens of happiness sprout.
******Come, let us plant the olive tree as a symbol, And release the white dove, the symbol of peace, And strive for harmony with every effort, To mend what we have corrupted with our own hands. And let us pray to God to grant every heart, A pure, endless peace. A peace that fills the universe with light, And overwhelms the Earth with joys and protection.
harry k stammer lives in Santa Barbara, CA USA. His books include tents – 2007 Otoliths, grounds – 2013 Otoliths, tocsin – 2019 Otoliths, –48 – 2021 Sandy Press, sidewalkss – 2021 Concrete Mist Press, walls’t’s – 2021 Sandy Press, alleys’t’ – 2023 Concrete Mist Press, and Getting to One with Eileen Tabios – 2023 Sandy Press. harry’s sound/poem pieces can be found at https://harrykstammer.bandcamp.com
Toxic toll I once was whole before the immense pain you so selfishly inflicted on my soul Was this the goal — to pay a toll or has this simply taken a toll Led by control: reprogramming theft of my wants Pure soul, slowly — but surely — playing a role defamation of a chosen self hoping for victory painting this picture of me as if it were my destiny Could this be the death of me, or the unapologetic theft of she — what used to be no longer remains shell never be the same Such a tragedy
Shhhhh Signs and synchronicities With repetitive actions with self sabotaging consequences same song, same dance should I have even given you a chance Already awaiting the consequence retraction should I even be asking why there is a lack of passion why we wear this costume of love as if it’s a fashion smile and pretend it’s all peachy we were the illusion as if it was Avicii
Cursed within Rejuvenation of one’s worth it starts with ones feet grounding to the Earth Mind over mentality always shows the truth what feels like a curse Is revealed and reversed And then only proceed after completing one’s need What follows worth is the real realization you have to love you first Love all around even the dark stuff you keep deep deep down all while treading emotions try not to drown stay afloat love ain’t no joke, but there’s always hope
Best friend What’s always there when you need it In any and every situations They have read every page in your book They can read you and literally know every detail and nook They stick with you through Thick and thin That’s right you guessed it It’s my best friend MMH est 2011
