Allways Lounge will host BrechtFest IV: The Works of Bertolt Brecht celebrating German poet and playwright Bertolt Brecht on Monday, February 6 and Tuesday, February 7 at 8:30 p.m. The festival will celebrate the life and legacy of Brecht through music, spoken word and puppetry.

Bertolt Brecht. German Federal Archive.

Brecht was one of the most influential playwrights of the 20th century according to the Poetry Foundation, one of the largest literary foundations in the world. Brecht wrote The Threepenny Opera (1928) with composer Kurt Weill, Mother Courage and Her Children (1941), The Good Person of Szechwan (1943), and The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui (1958). His most popular composition is probably “Mack The Knife” from The Threepenny Opera, which was recorded by both Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald, with the most well-known version being the pop version performed by Bobby Darin in 1959.  Brecht served in World War I and fled Germany in the 1930s when the Nazi Regime took power.

The festival will feature Chris Beroes-Haigis, Christien Bold, Sarah Brecht, David Buchbinder, Michael Cerveris, Bremner Duthie, Gabrielle Fischler, Grace Kennedy, Karen Kunkel, Rebecca Leigh, Donald Lewis, Harry Mayronne, Stoo Odom, Susanne Ortner, Stephanie Reed, David Symons and Chris Wecklein.

Music will include the works of Kurt Weill, Hanns Eisler and others who were part of the creative zeitgeist in Weimar-era Germany (1918-1933).

A portion of the proceeds will benefit Innocence Project New Orleans.

For more information on BrechtFest IV or to purchase tickets, visit this link.