THE THREEPENNY OPERA

Date of Run: July 27-August 5, 2012
ROLE: Matthew


This show played only two weekends, the last one of July and the first one of August, but my experience truly began in January. I was on winter break from school and on break from Oklahoma rehearsals when I saw on Facebook that there was to be a concert featuring the music of Kurt Weill with a couple other songs from other writers. Students who had grown up together in the area and who had done shows at Cinnabar Theatre (Petaluma) together, including my friend David O’Connell, put on this concert at the Petaluma Museum. I felt it was worth checking out because I did not know the music of Kurt Weill that much and a good friend, who was not normally a singer, was involved. The program stated that the funds raised from this show would be directed toward a production of The Threepenny Opera in the summer. My thought on that was “Maybe I’ll go see it if I’m still in the area.” The concert was enjoyable. After it I didn’t give much more thought to the production until around May.

After Oklahoma ended, I auditioned for a couple shows here and there, searching for my next gig. Nothing. Then in May I learned that there would be auditions for Threepenny Opera and I remembered that it was happening. I auditioned. It was a few weeks before I learned that I was cast. I was on a cruise in Alaska when I found out I was cast as Matthew. Rehearsals began a couple weeks after I got back.

The director of this show was Eileen Morris and the music director was Jared Emerson-Johnson. The cast consisted of my friends Rachel Deatherage and Margaret Starr and other people I did not know including David Norman, Audrey Tatum, Molly Larsen, Erin Galloway, Gabe Sacher, and Adam Farmer. We were short one person to play the role of Peachum and at first, I felt we could’ve used more people for ensemble, even just a couple girls.

I reviewed a copy of the play beforehand only to find that we would be using a different version than the more commonly produced one. I would also be playing not only Matthew, but also a beggar and a whore (yes, a whore, more on that later). We also did not have a performance venue. Eileen had wanted to use the Petaluma Museum because of the acoustics, and I’d be inclined to agree with her because the concert in there was wonderful. In fact, the museum did hold concerts there on occasion. However, the museum had an exhibit up that they couldn’t easily be removed so we were forced to go elsewhere. After some searching, we found a venue in an art gallery in Downtown Petaluma. Rehearsals, however, were held mostly at a couple churches in Petaluma with a couple at Cinnabar Theatre and a few at Eileen’s house.

I could not be at rehearsal all the time due to my job. Most of my scenes, which were the big group scenes were staged first, then I had a long break before being called again. During music rehearsals I didn’t rely on others. Strangely it was as if I had suddenly gotten a good ear and I picked up the sound of the notes better, despite the bass clef. I can’t explain it, but I had greatly improved and felt relaxed learning the music.

As time went on, we were still short a person to play Peachum. Eileen and Jared had exhausted all possible contacts, all of whom said no. I tried to search for others via Facebook. Kevin Ockelmann responded. He said he’d come up if they were looking. With him he brought Christopher Gonzalez. Neither would go on to play the role, but they were cast anyway which helped to lessen the burden for the ensemble as some bit parts needed to be filled. Eventually a Junior College student, Francis Upton, was found to play Peachum. Now the show was fully cast.

In this cast happened one of the rarest of theatre circumstances. Fully cast, it was eight men, four women. More men than women in a show and in a musical no less. We had no ensemble women, so Rachel and Audrey doubled. Rachel’s character, Lucy, was not seen until the second act and Audrey, who played Jenny, was only in a couple scenes as that character. Some of the men had to play whores. I myself was originally slated to wear a white, tight, spaghetti strapped shirt that laced up in the front, but I turned it down because of my tattoos. If I had worn it though, it would’ve looked like I had boobs. Instead, I wore a long-sleeved black shirt, a turquoise flower headband and a blue scarf. Whenever we came to that scene, I never faced the audience. I turned my head down so the lower half of my face would be behind my shoulder. I had a full beard and thought a prostitute with a beard would not look right.

The full cast Bottom left to right: Gabe, Francis, Molly, Adam, David, Erin, Rachel, Kevin, Audrey, and Margaret. Back row l to r: Chris, Me

For only about a month, we rehearsed with the full cast, though days when we had everyone were extremely rare. I usually carpooled with Kevin and Chris to Petaluma. I got along with the cast very well. Some people I did not meet until later on due to the fact that they usually weren't around at the same time I was. I felt that the talents of the four female cast members were superior to the male cast members. The person playing Macheath, David Norman, however, had the best voice of the men. He was a tenor with a voice of sheer power and presence. I felt that he could get over a full orchestra without a microphone. In fact, he was one of the few that stood out and stayed in my mind from the concert back in January.

When we finally came to the actual performance venue, we discovered how small it was. Even moving all the art exhibits aside, the venue would only seat about fifty, maybe sixty. Some would have to sit on the floor. We’d change in the back room. Some scenes involved entering from the audience which meant running half a block around from the alley behind the building to the front. Unfortunately, we’d also have to share a bathroom with the audience.

One day during rehearsal, a few days before opening, we found out that Chris Colfer of Glee was going to be the next street over at a book signing. Many of us wanted to go over there, but we couldn’t. It’s always thrilling to be in close proximity to a celebrity.

This was a very low budget production. We’d only have someone on keyboard and Jared on a violin to accompany us. There was an arch in the studio from which curtains held up by clothes pins would hang from a rope. During one song it was my job to open the curtain while others in that scene rolled out a bed (one of those cheap hotel rollaway beds). But during one rehearsal I had to pull out several for it to open. By then the bed was rolling over me. I took it upon myself to hang up the curtains and I practiced opening them before every performance to make sure it worked.

The Stage

After “Mack the Knife” I was in the third scene, the barn wedding scene. My entrance went like this: First I’d open a small hole in the curtain and look out. Then I’d pop my head out, eyes wide. I would exaggerate looking right and left with only my eyes. Then I’d come fully out. I’d walk right and say “Hello?” Then left and say “Hello?” Then I’d look at the audience and say, “Anybody home?” And that’s when David (Macheath) and Molly (Polly) entered. I always got laughs during some part of it.

The next scene I was in was the same location, but a different time. In this scene my character protested having a woman being in charge of Mack the Knife’s gang, meaning Macheath’s wife, Polly. She then came at my yelling, grabbing my shirt and pulled me close. Then as the others applauded her, she acted cute and bubbly. I never noticed that much before, but one performance I really looked at her and she nearly made me laugh. It was a struggle not to.

The houses were always packed. We had at least forty every show. I measure that as a success, considering the size of the venue. Lynne Morrow and Yvonne Wormer came one night, though not together and they did not see each other until intermission. Yvonne literally got there at the last second and took the last seat.

The most awesome thing during the course of the show concerned Chris. I don’t remember if this happened during a performance or rehearsal, but one night, before the beggar scene, Chris, dressed in his beggar costume, took his sign (we brought in signs for the beggar scene) and sat at the corner. I suppose this was his method of helping him get into character, but he really looked like a homeless person. Then someone who passed by gave him a full loaf of bread! He was that convincing. We all thought it the greatest thing ever and he shared it with us. Needless to say, we enjoyed the snack.

During the course of the show, I became very close to Kevin and Chris. We always talked on and on in the car rides and even after the show ended, we'd hang out together, going to trivia nights at a pub in Downtown Petaluma. Kevin would say that this was the closest he ever was to any cast.

After every show we had to reset the gallery. I noticed that after every show as with Reefer Madness, my throat did not hurt. It was probably due to all the moving around I did. I think it distracted me. Though I only sang in the first song, a couple verses in the third scene and the end song, this show was still not as vocally demanding as others I’ve done.

I felt this show to be a very good one, in spite of the low budget. The directors knew their craft well and created a great success with the cast meshing beautifully.