Leonardo! A Wonderful Show About A Terrible Monster at Chicago Children's Theatre

Leonardo! A Wonderful Show About A Terrible Monster is Manual Cinema's original adaptation of Mo Willems' children's stories, directed by Sarah Fornace. The show follows Leonardo, a monster who tries desperately to be scary but fails, until he finds Sam, the most scaredy-cat kid in the world, leading to an unlikely friendship. The production features hundreds of illustrated puppets, fuzzy Muppet-style puppets, actors on live cameras, and a live music soundtrack, fusing shadow puppetry, video projection, DIY cinema, green screen techniques, and immersive sound. The show premiered at Chicago Children's Theatre in 2023 and has since performed at the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival and in Edinburgh.