Skip to main content
My Shows
News on your favorite shows, specials & more!

Manual Cinema Presents A 10th Anniversary Retrospectacular

By:

Manual Cinema Presents A 10th Anniversary Retrospectacular Image

Manual Cinema, the Chicago-based performance collective, design studio, and film/video production company founded by Drew Dir, Sarah Fornace, Ben Kauffman, Julia Miller, and Kyle Vegter, will celebrate the company's 10th Anniversary with a four-week virtual celebration launching Monday, July 27 at Noon CST, culminating in a live, retro, remote view variety show and Covid-relief fundraiser streaming live on Saturday, August 22 at 8 p.m.

Titled Manual Cinema's 10th Anniversary Retrospectacular!, this month-long virtual birthday party will bring back four of the company's most seminal shows from the past 10 years, on multi-camera, high-definition video and in their entirety, starting Monday, July 27.

Each week's video will open with a personal introduction from one of the company's five co-artistic directors, who will briefly introduce the show and its place in Manual Cinema's history. Each production will be available for on-demand viewing 24/7 on manualcinema.com/watch until the following Monday at noon when it will be replaced with the next week's show. A live talkback reuniting the creators and collaborators for each production is planned every Saturday night.

All four videos are free to enjoy via Manual Cinema's home page with a suggested donation to the company to compensate for lost touring income due to Covid-19. i??


Manual Cinema's 10th Anniversary Retrospectacular! will culminate with a live stream event, Manual Cinema's LIVE Tele-FUN-draiser World Premiere Special, on Saturday, August 22 at 8 p.m.

Manual Cinema's fans, friends, funders and artists will gather online for a really cool, retro variety show including a host, a house band and special guest artists. Manual Cinema will introduce folks to their work, touch on the company's inception and 10-year history, highlight accomplishments of note over the last decade, and ask for support through donations. The live stream will culminate in the world premiere of a 15-minute new short work created and performed live by the five co-artistic directors.

In the coming weeks the company will reveal the four "greatest hits" to be revived online for Manual Cinema's 10th Anniversary Retrospectacular!, plus more details Manual Cinema's LIVE Tele-FUN-draiser World Premiere Special live stream event on August 22.

Until then, for the latest updates visit manualcinema.com, follow the company on Facebook at facebook.com/manualcinema, on Instagram at instagram.com/manual_cinema and on Twitter at @ManualCinema.

"Candyman, Candyman, Candyman, Candyman, Candyma..."
Soon after, in September 2020, comes another big moment in company history: the national release of the major motion picture remake of Candyman.
i??Manual Cinema created shadow animations featured in the Chicago-set horror film reboot, directed by Nia DaCosta and produced by Jordan Peele's Monkeypaw Productions.

Need more Chicago Theatre News in your life?
Sign up for all the news on the Summer season, discounts & more...


BroadwayWorld TV


Disney's The Little Mermaid in Chicago Disney's The Little Mermaid
The Performing Arts Center (7/18-8/02)
EWP presents Robbie Fulks & Griffin William Sherry Showcase in Chicago EWP presents Robbie Fulks & Griffin William Sherry Showcase
Raue Center For The Arts (8/07-8/07)
Hedwig and the Angry Inch in Chicago Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Catalyst Ranch (7/09-7/26) PHOTOS
Hairnation 2026- An Outdoor 80s Tribute Festival in Chicago Hairnation 2026- An Outdoor 80s Tribute Festival
BaseCamp Pub (7/26-7/26)
Blond Ambition: A Tribute to Madonna in Chicago Blond Ambition: A Tribute to Madonna
Raue Center For The Arts (11/07-11/07)
An Evening with Kevin Smith in Chicago An Evening with Kevin Smith
The Hemmens Cultural Center (9/18-9/18)
RCSA Presents Disney's The Little Mermaid in Chicago RCSA Presents Disney's The Little Mermaid
Raue Center For The Arts (7/24-8/02)
The Last Word in Chicago The Last Word
The Last Word (5/28-8/28)
High School Musical in Chicago High School Musical
Al Larson Cultural Center (8/01-8/09)
Maximus Variety Hour in Chicago Maximus Variety Hour
Den Theatre (8/15-8/15)