The Theatre of the Bauhaus by Melissa Trimingham

The Theatre of the Bauhaus by Melissa Trimingham

Focusing on the work of painter, choreographer and scenic designer Oskar Schlemmer, the "Master Magician" and leader of the Theatre Workshop, this book explains this "theatre of high modernism" and its historical role in design and performance studies; further, it connects the Bauhaus exploration of space with contemporary stages and contemporary ethics, aesthetics and society. The idea of "theatre of space" is used to highlight twentieth-century practitioners who privilege the visual, aural, and plastic qualities of the stage above character, narrative and, themes (for example Schlemmer himself, Robert Wilson, Tadeusz Kantor, Robert Lepage, Pina Bausch). This impressive volume will be of use to students and academics involved in the areas of twentieth-century performance, the history of performance art, the history of avant-garde theatre, modern German theatre, and Weimar-era performance.

'This is an insightful and penetrating study of Schlemmer's work at the Bauhaus which can be highly recommended to students of the modernist and postmoderist stage' - Günter Berghaus, Theatre Research International

'Trimingham succeeds not only in presenting a very precise and clear image of Oskar Schlemmer’s work at the Bauhaus, but also in relating his ideas convincingly to modern and postmodern theatre.' - Katharina Wild, Theater for Schung

Melissa Trimingham is a Lecturer in Drama at Kent University.