Meet the Cast of Leonardo! A Wonderful Show About a Terrible Monster

Lily Emerson
Narrator, Character Voices, Musician

Lily Emerson is the co-creator of Adventure Sandwich, a family-friendly performance group. In addition to Manual Cinema, she has had the honor of working with many esteemed companies and organizations, including Chicago Children’s Theatre, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Mucca Pazza, Hearts to Art, Opera-Matic, and many others.

Q. When you were a child, did you believe there was a monster hiding under your bed or in your closet? If so, what did you imagine the monster look like? Did it have a name?

I didn’t have many monsters hiding in my room, but I did have imaginary friends: Beeba and Jay, a pair of very talented and adventurous mice hailing from Spain. 

Q. What was your favorite children’s book when you were young?

It’s so hard to choose! I love to read, and there are a whole bunch of books on my favorites list, including: Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey, The Very Last First Time by Jan Andrews, and Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak 

Q. Why do you think Mo Willem’s beloved books translate so well to the stage?

Mo Willem’s characters are endearing, the stories are relatable whether you’re little or grown up, and his distinct illustration style looks great whether it’s on a page or a puppet.  

Q. Do you have a favorite puppet?

I do! His name is Bear, and I’ve known him since I was one week old. Technically he’s a teddy bear, and wasn’t necessarily designed to be a puppet, but one of the amazing things about puppetry is that anything can become a puppet—all it needs is imagination.  

Q. What other shows have you done with Manual Cinema? Do you have a favorite?

My first Manual Cinema show was The Electric Stage, which was based on the work of a Hungarian artist named László Moholy-Nagy. I’ve also understudied for Magic City, which is my second favorite Manual Cinema show I’ve been in. (Leonardo is my favorite, of course.)  

Q. Where else have you toured with Manual Cinema? Do you have a favorite city (besides Minneapolis)? 

I feel incredibly lucky that I’ve gotten to tour with Leonardo all over the place. Some of my favorite cities we’ve visited so far are Edinburgh, in Scotland, and Singapore, which is all the way on the other side of the globe.  

Q. What are you most excited for audiences to experience with this show?

The fact that there are so many ways to enjoy it! You can watch the performers puppeteering in front of the cameras, or watch it all come together on the screen, or see if you can catch me switching from one character voice to another. You can even close your eyes and just listen to the music, if you want. When I see a Manual Cinema show, I love that I can watch and listen to whichever part is most intriguing to me in any given moment—and it’s also why I love to come back to see the same show again and again, because I get to experience it in different ways and notice new details every time.  

Kevin Michael Wesson
Leonardo, Voice and Puppeteer

Kevin Michael Wesson is a Chicago-based puppeteer and playwright. Originally from Tampa, Fla., he holds a B.A. in Theatre Arts from the University of South Florida. Recent credits include Steppenwolf and Rough House Theater. He is also an ensemble member with Stop Motion Plant and Theater Unspeakable.

Q. When you were a child, did you believe there was a monster hiding under your bed or in your closet? If so, what did you imagine the monster look like? Did it have a name?

I wasn’t so much afraid of monsters, as I was very afraid of space aliens! I watched too much History Channel growing up. 

Q. What was your favorite children’s book when you were young?

I loved the I SPY book series! I’m very much an explorer at heart and love finding things! 

Q. Why do you think Mo Willems’ beloved books translate so well to the stage?

I think illustrations, cartoons, and puppetry are all from the same artistic tree. Mo Willems is an animator and puppetry is animation too.  

Q. Do you have a favorite puppet? 

E.T. resolved my fear of space aliens as a kid, so E.T. became my favorite movie as a kid (and still is!) So I’d have to say E.T. is my favorite puppet.

Q. What other shows have you done with Manual Cinema? Do you have a favorite? 

I am also in Manual Cinema’s Christmas Carol, but playing Leonardo is a highlight of my career; he’s obviously my favorite! Although my favorite Manual Cinema show apart from Leonardo! is End of TV, as it artistically inspired me for years after. 

Q. Where else have you toured with Manual Cinema? Do you have a favorite city (besides Minneapolis)?

With Manual Cinema, I’ve been to Des Moines, IA; Houghton, MI; Glencoe, IL; Little Rock, AR; Ypsilanti, MI; but my favorite will always be sweet home Chicago. 

Q. What are you most excited for audiences to experience with this show?

I’m so happy to be a part of the magic of bringing a book to life live on stage. Truly, Manual Cinema is unlike anything else, and I’m lucky enough to be a part of the magic. 

Q. Any other cool facts, tidbits, individualisms, etc. about you that you’d like to share?

My favorite animal is a whale shark, favorite color is indigo, & favorite ice cream flavor is Ben & Jerry’s “Netflix & Chilll’d”! 

Lindsey Noel Whiting
Leonardo, Voice and Puppeteer

Lindsey Noel Whiting is a Chicago-based performer and teaching artist. Her theatrical credits include Lookingglass Alice, Mr. & Mrs. Pennyworth, and The Great Fire at Lookingglass Theatre; The Snow Queen at Victory Gardens; and The Year I Didn’t Go to School with Chicago Children’s Theatre. She has also appeared in numerous shows with Redmoon Theatre. Additionally, Lindsey is an associate artist with The Actor’s Gymnasiums where she has performed in
over ten original circus productions.

Q. When you were a child, did you believe there was a monster hiding under your bed or in your closet? If so, what did you imagine the monster look like? Did it have a name?

I don’t think I was ever scared of a monster in my closet or under my bed, but I was super scared of the basement! I’m not even sure I thought there was a monster down there, but it always felt really important that I run up the stairs as fast as possible just in case! (Sometimes I still run up the stairs.) 

Q. What was your favorite children’s book when you were young?

When I was really little, I loved One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss, I think because the rhyming made it easy for me to memorize. When I got older, I loved The BFG, Matilda, and A Wrinkle in Time. I also had a teacher that would read us Nancy Drew mysteries one chapter at a time; the chapters always ended on a cliffhanger so I was really excited to hear what happened next. Mysteries are still one of my favorite things to read and SO MANY times I’ve stayed up too late reading because I want to know what happens next! 

Q. Why do you think Mo Willem’s beloved books translate so well to the stage?

His books DO translate well to the stage! He has a very cinematic illustration style. Sometimes the characters will walk off the page, almost like they’re walking off camera. And if a character is thinking about a big decision, he’ll show the character in a “close-up.” Sometimes his characters will look and talk to the reader kind of like a stage actor breaking the fourth wall or a screen actor “barreling the camera”—which is a neat way of making the reader feel like they’re an active part of the story. Mo used to work on Sesame Street, so I think it makes sense that he uses some of the storytelling techniques of television in his books.  

Q. Do you have a favorite puppet?

I love every puppet I’ve worked with! Leonardo is obviously one of the most charming puppets on the planet. I also love the small paper puppet of Sam cheering on Leo in the song “Wonderful Friend.” And I love giant puppets! I recently worked on a show with a really big spider that had to be operated by 5 people; it was hard to get her to move just right but when she did she was magnificent!  

Q. What other shows have you done with Manual Cinema? Do you have a favorite?

I worked on a show at Lookingglass called Mr. and Mrs. Pennyworth where Manual Cinema designed some really great live action shadow puppetry. It was a little bit like being a cartoon! I also did some early workshops of Manual Cinema’s Frankenstein which was fun because the process was really playful, despite the fact that the show is kinda spooky. But just like with the puppets, I can’t’ say which one is my favorite—I love them all!  

Q. Where else have you toured with Manual Cinema? Do you have a favorite city (besides Minneapolis)?

I think I’ve been to about 15 different cities with Leonardo. I really liked going to Singapore—the food was so good (and inexpensive!) and the architecture of the city was beautiful. I also really liked Jackson, Wyoming; we went in January and everything was covered in a thick layer of snow. There were beautiful mountains all around us and it felt like being in an old cowboy town. 

Q. What are you most excited for audiences to experience with this show?

I’m excited for audiences to see the way we use technology in this show. It’s not really anything too fancy—just about everyone has access to a camera, even if they don’t have a projector. I hope it inspires people to play with different ways they can tell stories with things they have at home.   

Q. Any other cool facts, tidbits, individualisms, etc. about you that you’d like to share?

I sell pancakes! My husband and I run a brand called Long Table where we make heirloom grain pancake mixes. Check us out at longtablepancakes.com. 

Leah Casey
Kerry, Puppeteer 

Leah Casey is a Chicago-based actress, dancer, and writer. When not on stage, she can be found lending her voice to all manner of audiobooks, or with the cast of Project STELLAR, a science fiction podcast about a group of crazy kids who have close encounters of the awesome kind.

Q. When you were a child, did you believe there was a monster hiding under your bed or in your closet? If so, what did you imagine the monster look like? Did it have a name?

Not under my bed or closet, and not a monster. Aliens! I used to pretend they would camp in our backyard, and that I was running an inn for them to stay in so they could play tourist on Earth! They all looked vastly different—some had scales, others, slime, or fur, antennae, wings…I had a very vivid imagination when I was a kid. 

Q. What was your favorite children’s book when you were young?

The Order of Odd-Fish. In fact, it’s still my favorite. 

Q. Why do you think Mo Willems’ beloved books translate so well to the stage?

I think, when on stage, we have to portray emotions in big ways for the audience to see, and because he writes characters that already are trying to convey big emotions, they translate well to the stage. 

Q. Do you have a favorite puppet?

When I was a kid, my church would do puppet shows for the kids in Sunday school—my favorite was a puppet named Stewart. His hair was always very fluffy, wispy. It’d wave whenever he moved his head. I wanted to pet him. Desperately. 

Q. What other shows have you done with Manual Cinema? Do you have a favorite?

My favorite show I’ve done with Manual Cinema is Frankenstein. 

Q. Where else have you toured with Manual Cinema? Do you have a favorite city (besides Minneapolis)?

I’ve toured with them to a lot of places in the US, as well as Canada, Ecuador, Chile, and Scotland—which was my absolute favorite. Edinburgh was magical! 

Q. What are you most excited for audiences to experience with this show?

I’m excited for them to giggle at just about everything we do—and probably scream. And ask for ice cream. 

Q. Any other cool facts, tidbits, individualisms, etc. about you that you’d like to share?

I am a fantastic whistler.