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.
Films “Anita”, “Book of Death”, “Chrysalis”, “Kamilah the Miracle Filly” Honored with the “Courage for Freedom Film Award”
“Anita”, “Book of Death”, “Chrysalis”, “Kamilah the Miracle Filly“ Honored with the Courage for Freedom Film Award
This is the first time in the history of cinema that an award has been given on the subject of “Courage for Freedom,” and it is the first time that a film award has been linked to the values of freedom imbued in heroes for freedom.
The “Courage for Freedom Film Award” is linked to the hero of two worlds, Giuseppe Garibaldi, so named because Garibaldi brought independence to countries on both sides of the world: Italy and Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil), but the hero also fought for the cause of independence of Uruguay.
From October 28th to November 4th, with the participation of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the founder of this film award, Hon. Francesco Garibaldi Hibbert, a descendant of the hero Garibaldi, was welcomed to the celebration of the 150th anniversary of Italian immigration to the state of Rio Grande do Sul.
The tour included thirteen cities in the Brazilian state, where the film “Anita,” produced by Assisi Suono Sacro and featuring Wardal and music by Andrea Ceccomori, was presented as a world premiere.
On November 9th “Anita“ received three awards at the Herbst theatre for SF New Concept INT Film Festival : Wardal : USA Excellence for acting a motion picture monologue, Maestro Andrea Ceccomori : best Score, Francesco Garibaldi: Best Concept .
The film centers on the powerful, poignant lyric “Anita” by Giuseppe Garibaldi, about the agony and death of his wife Anita.
The grand debut of the “Courage for Freedom Film Award,” founded by Francesco Garibaldi, artistic director Wardal, will take place on December 13th in Pompeii , at the Vesuvius Film Festival (Vesuviusfilmfestival.it) directed by architect Giovanna D’Amodio.
This year, the Vesuvius film festival is dedicated to Federico Fellini, with a photographic exhibition on Fellini curated by Giovanna D’Amodio and Graziano Marraffa, president of the historical archive of Italian cinema.
The “Courage for Freedom film award“ will be assigned, in addition to the film “Anita”, to three major productions such as the soon-to-be-released film “Chrysalis”, a human story of survival, on the life of Sir Daniel Winn, with Daniel Winn, directed by J. Robert Schulz and “Kamilah the Miracle Filly“ by Angela Alioto about the freedom to live and produced by Moe Rock, founder of the LA Tribune and Emily Letran, its co-founder, the documentary awarded by Pope Francis and the Dalai Lama: “Book of Death” by Jenny Thai on the drama of the refugees in Vietnam.
Natural support: diet with fruits, vegetables, fermented milk products.
Research-based recommendation: minimum 2–4 weeks of probiotic therapy post-antibiotics.
6. Conclusion
Antibiotics are powerful tools — but misuse converts medicine into a hidden toxin.
Microbiota protection should be part of every pediatric treatment plan.
Long-term child health depends not only on curing disease, but preserving biological balance.
References
1. World Health Organization. Antimicrobial resistance: Global report on surveillance. Geneva, 2023.
2. Blaser MJ. Missing Microbes: How the Overuse of Antibiotics Is Fueling Our Modern Plagues. 2014.
3. Arrieta M-C et al. “Early-life antibiotics, gut microbiota disruption, and metabolic outcomes.” Nature Communications, 2021.
4. Tamburini S et al. “The microbiome in early life: implications for health outcomes.” Nature Medicine, 2016.
Baxronova Vasila is a student of the Bukhara State Medical Institute, a member of Argentina’s “Juntos por las Letras” International Writers’ Association, Egypt’s “Iqra” Foundation, and India’s “Art and Culture International Forum”.
Her articles have been published in India’s “Intellectuals of the Third Renaissance” Almanac, the United States’ “Voices of Uzbek Girls” International Anthology, Qatar’s “The Voice of Uzbek Women: Bridging Cultures, Inspiring the World” International Anthology, and Turkey’s “Inspiring Voices of Uzbekistan” International Anthology. She is also a participant in the Republican Scientific-Practical Conference “Conference of Natural and Applied Sciences in Scientific Innovative Research.”
Her scientific articles have been published in India’s Editor KavyaKishor International Journal and Thailand’s Page3NewsThai International Journal. She is the holder of multiple international certificates.
THE ROLE OF COGNATES IN LINGUISTICS: COGNATES IN ENGLISH AND UZBEK LANGUAGES
Khasanova Azizabonu
Uzbek State University of World Languages
Email: xasanovaazizakhon06@gmail.com
Abstract
Cognates play a very crucial role in every language’s linguistics. Therefore, when we want to learn some languages or compare ours to other languages we definitely come across them during our learning journey. The concept of cognates can be found in nearly all languages, since languages are interrelated and, in many instances, words are transferred or adapted from one language to another, resulting in the emergence of cognates.
Keywords: Modern information technologies, interactive learning, e-learning, digital transformation, education quality.
If the history of cognate is discussed, etymology dictionaries trace present-day words to the oldest forms available, establish their primary meanings and give the parent form reconstructed by means of the comparative-historical method. In case of borrowings they point out the immediate source of borrowing, its origin, and parallel forms in cognate languages.
1. Cognate awareness One method of building vocabulary among English-language learners whose language share capitalize on students’ first-language knowledge (August et al.2005). Cognates are words in two languages that share a similar spelling, pronunciation, and meaning. Students often can draw on their knowledge of words in their native language to figure out the meanings of cognates in English. Because of their common Latin and Greek roots, as well as the close connections between English and the Romance languages, English and Spanish share a large number of cognate pairs. Not only in Romance or English languages but also in Uzbek we can see some cognates
2. Cognates in English and Uzbek languages ENGLISH UZBEK EXPLANATION Radio Radio Same form, same meaning. Taxi Taxi Similar pronunciation and meaning. Doctor Doctor Similar pronunciation and same meaning .Video Video Same pronunciation and same meaning. Virus Virus same form, different pronunciation. Bank Bank Same form, same meaning Hacker Haker Slightly different form, same meaning (loanword from same root) Menu Menyu Different form, same pronunciation and meaning. Mini Mini Same form and meaning. Idea Ideya Different pronunciation, same meaning. Season Sezon Slightly different pronunciation, same meaning Zebra Zebra Same form, same meaning. Cobra Kobra Same form, same meaning. Museum Muzey Different pronunciation, same meaning.
Types of cognates in English language: Actually the main types of cognates are true cognates, near-perfect cognates and false cognates. In true cognates have a identical spelling and similar meaning, but in perfect cognates have slightly different spelling but similar meaning, in false cognates have similar spelling but different meaning. Some classifications also include accidental cognates (which are words that are similar by chance), and partial cognates (which are may share a root not all affixes.
Conclusion To sum up the findings, it is clear that English and Uzbek share many type of cognates that reflect cultural and linguistic exchange. Words such as radio, computer, virus ,taxi demonstrates how global communication and scientific progress have influenced modern vocabulary.
References1.R.S.Ginzburg.A modern course in modern English lexicology.2.Agniezska Otwinowska. Cognate vocabulary in language acquisition and Use. 3. https://semantjournals.org/index.php/AJBP. 4.Cognate in foreign language learning: A cognitive and Linguodidactic perspective by Natalia Oberste-Berghaus(2025) 5.uz.wikipedia.uz
Azizabonu Xasanova was born on November 22,2006 in Buloqboshi district, Andijan region. From 2013 to 2024, she studied at School No.43 specialized for English and Mathematics.She has achieved remarkable success in her studies and extracurricular activities. In 2022, she won a competition organized by the Muloqot channel, as a result of which her CEFR exam will be fully funded by the government.As a result, she successfully earned a B2 level certificate with a score of 58 points.
Currently, she is continuing her bachelor’s degree at the Uzbekistan State World Languages of University, majoring in English Philology. She participate in regularly in some projects like University Pride, Kitoblarim Yuzi and others. As a second year student She has successfully transitioned from a self-funded (contract) student to receiving a 50% university grant this year. This achievement not only reflects her academic excellence but also provides her with significant financial support to continue her studies more comfortably.
Azizabonu Xasanova is an enthusiastic student with a deep interest in languages and cultural communication.
