Oskar Schlemmer- Das tradische Ballett und die Bauhausbühne, by Dirk Scheper, published in: Schriftreihe der akademischen Künste Band 20

The Bauhaus stage was established in 1920 by Oskar Schlemmer and was an unique scene to explore the relations of body and space. It was a place to create a certain restatement of the elements of designing and arranging the stage. Schlemmer himself was dealing with form, colour, sound, motion, light and the tension between person and space. He was the first person which looked closer at the effects of playing with the listed elements.

With help of shapes and forms it is possible to define the space on stage and contrasting  it. The use of colour as well as the use of forms generates emotions. Schlemmer stated, that every person has its own inner circle of colour and so its own preferences and aversions. The effect of light can be used to bound the space on stage and to create smaller or larger areas and regions.

Schlemmer designed a totally different style of costumes. Costumes that were no longer just for a most realistic appearance of actors. They were created for an emotional effect on the audience. Some costumes limited the movement of its wearer and some of them made only a backward movement possible. Schlemmer suggested to experiment and play around with the use of different forms  and shapes on costumes. Most of the costumes were not easy or comfortable to wear, but still today actors feel honoured if they get the possibility  to wear them.

The use of sound and music was mostly limited to a piano and an ambient style. The use of voice or dialogues was not important for Schlemmers ballet.

For our exploration of  interactive theatre it is good to get an awareness of different effects of all elements on the stage.  Unfortunately we do not have the capabilities to explore the impact of light, sound, colours etc. on a real  stage, so it is good to keep in mind, that every shape, every colour, every tone creates an specific but different emotion to the audience.