Sign Up for An Audition Slot

The Department of Theatre and Dance will hold auditions for Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill ’s masterpiece, “The Threepenny Opera,” on May 20 and 21 from 6-10 p.m. in Arena Theatre, Wright Hall. The auditions will be held in conjunction for those for the Ground and Field Theatre Festival. Auditions are open to all UC Davis students, faculty and staff.  

Prepare 16 bars to sing. Bring headshot and resume.  

The production will be directed by Peter Lichtenfels and Regina Maria Gutierrez Bermudez.

A gripping, macabre masterpiece, “The Threepenny Opera” is a criticism of capitalism and middle class morality set in a world of corrupt money and unpunished evil. It is one of the most produced works of music theater worldwide. Weill’s celebrated score parodies operatic conventions and embraces the musical styles of jazz, period dance music, and cabaret. 

An iconic 20th century musical, “The Threepenny Opera” is a story of love and sexual intrigue written by Brecht, a key leftwing playwright, with music by his brilliant collaborator Weill. The musical introduced the famous song “Mack the Knife,” and the infamous and threatening character of Macheath. It was originally written at a time when they didn’t know what the future was, and they had no past. The play poses the contemporary question “What is it like when life has no certainty?” How can they sustain a deviant high.