BrechtFest VII, the seventh annual New Orleans celebration of the work of German poet and playwright Bertolt Brecht, returns to the Allways Lounge Twilight Room for two nights of performance blending music, spoken word and puppetry.

Presented by David C. Symons (accordion) and Harry Mayronne (piano and puppetry), the program brings together an ensemble of New Orleans and international performers interpreting Brecht’s writing through theatrical and musical traditions rooted in cabaret, classical, and experimental performance.

The cast includes musicians Chris Beroes-Haigis (cello), David Buchbinder (trumpet), Hannah Davis (percussion), Matt Andrews (violin), Stoo Odom (bass), and Susanne Ortner (clarinet), alongside featured performers Kitty Baudoin, Sarah Brecht, Bremner Duthie, Karen Kunkel, Anna Laura Quinn, Stephanie Reed, Yusa and Chris Wecklein.

Collectively, the performers’ credits span Broadway, the Berliner Ensemble, the original production of Anaïs Mitchell’s Hadestown, Edinburgh Fringe, and the Provincetown Tennessee Williams Festival, as well as past Allways Lounge productions of Brecht/Weill’s Happy End and The Threepenny Opera (co-produced with Cripple Creek Theatre). Ensemble members have also performed with groups including The Flying Bulgar Klezmer Band and The Salt Wives.

The program features music by Kurt Weill, Hanns Eisler, David C. Symons, Harry Mayronne, and David Buchbinder, offering a range of approaches to Brecht’s politically charged, socially conscious texts.

A portion of the proceeds from BrechtFest VII will benefit Innocence and Justice Louisiana, supporting efforts to address wrongful convictions and systemic injustice in the state.

BrechtFest VII: Works of Bertolt Brecht, a benefit performance, takes place in the Twilight Room at the Allways Lounge, 2240 St. Claude Ave., on Tuesday and Wednesday, February 3–4, with doors at 7:30 p.m. and performances at 8:00 p.m.; tickets are $30, with advance sales available through BrechtFest.