Die sieben Todsünden / Der Zar lässt sich photographieren
Kurt Weill
Assistant Stage Director Intern · Dancer
Die sieben Todsünden (The Seven Deadly Sins), a sung ballet, and Der Zar lässt sich photographieren (The Tsar Has His Photograph Taken), a comic opera, are two of Kurt Weill’s most distinctive stage works. Presented as a double bill to celebrate the composer’s 125th birthday and the 75th anniversary of his death, the production offered a dialogue between the two works through an integrated theatrical language combining music, movement and visual composition.
Pfalztheater
Pfalztheater Kaiserslautern · Germany · 2025
Documentation
Context and Artistic Process
Directed and choreographed by Martina Veh, the production approached the two operas as complementary reflections on modernity, power and the individual’s relationship with society. While Der Zar lässt sich photographieren unfolds as a grotesque political satire shaped by the aesthetics of the Zeitoper, Die sieben Todsünden investigates the fragmentation of identity through the encounter between dance, voice and Brecht’s social critique.
As a dancer in the production, I worked within an ensemble where movement was not conceived as illustration but as a dramaturgical force. Particularly in Die sieben Todsünden, choreography embodied the emotional and psychological disintegration of the central character, extending the narrative beyond the sung text and creating a physical counterpoint to the score.
The rehearsal process demanded a close dialogue between singers, dancers, orchestra and stage direction, constructing a scenic language in which gesture, rhythm and spatial composition functioned as equal dramaturgical elements.
Credits
Music
Kurt Weill
Libretto
Die sieben Todsünden: Bertolt Brecht
Der Zar lässt sich photographieren: Georg Kaiser
Stage Direction & Choreography
Martina Veh
Musical Direction
Olivier Pols
Assistant Stage Director Intern
German Ivancic
Dancers
Anna Angelini
Shiri Shamai
Bente Wouters
Saskia Hamala
Hojoon Moon
German Ivancic
Eugene Surmin
Singers
Astrid Vosberg
Arkadiusz Jakus
Hyunkyum Kim
Zinzi Frohwein
Bethany Yeaman
Manon Jürgens
Daniel Kim
Johannes Hubmer
Tobias Haaks
Arkadiusz Jakus
Johannes Hubmer
Johannes Fritsche
Daniel Kim
Daniel Kim
Johannes Fritsche
Rebecca Blanz
Yuhui Liang
Ljubomir Milanovic
Stijn Ritzen
Andrija Sekulić
Dominique Engler
Thomas Schmitz
Set Design
Thomas Dörfler
Costume Design
Christl Wein
Lighting Design
Manfred Wilking
Dramaturgy
Andreas Bronkalla
Choir Direction
Aymeric Catalano
Orchestra
Pfalzphilharmonie Kaiserslautern
Choir
Chorus of Pfalztheater Kaiserslautern
Production
Pfalztheater Kaiserslautern
