Teo Otto (1904–1968) was a Swiss

stage designer Scenic design, also known as stage design or set design, is the creation of scenery for theatrical productions including plays and musicals. The term can also be applied to film and television productions, where it may be referred to as prod ...

.Banham (1998, 830). He trained in

Kassel Kassel (; in Germany, spelled Cassel until 1926) is a city on the Fulda River in North Hesse, northern Hesse, in Central Germany (geography), central Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Kassel (region), Kassel and the d ...

and

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

and in 1926 taught at the

Bauhaus The Staatliches Bauhaus (), commonly known as the , was a German art school operational from 1919 to 1933 that combined Decorative arts, crafts and the fine arts.Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 4th edn., ...

Weimar Weimar is a city in the state (Germany), German state of Thuringia, in Central Germany (cultural area), Central Germany between Erfurt to the west and Jena to the east, southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together w ...

.Baugh (1994, 252). In 1928 he became an assistant at the

Berlin Staatsoper The Staatsoper Unter den Linden ( State Opera under the Lime Trees), also known as the Berlin State Opera (), is a listed building on Unter den Linden boulevard in the Mitte (locality), historic center of Berlin, Germany. The opera house was bui ...

. Following the Nazis' seizure of power in Germany, he returned to Switzerland where he was resident designer at the Zürich Schauspielhaus for 25 years.

Theatre designs

* 1930: première of '' The Decision'' by

Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known as Bertolt Brecht and Bert Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a p ...

; directed by

Slatan Dudow Slatan Theodor Dudow (, Zlatan Dudov; 30 January 1903 – 12 July 1963) was a Bulgarian-born German film director and screenwriter who made a number of films during the Weimar Republic and in East Germany. Biography Early life and career Dud ...

at the

Großes Schauspielhaus The Großes Schauspielhaus (Great Theater) was a theater in Berlin, Germany, designed by architect Hans Poelzig for theater director Max Reinhardt. The structure was built as a market hall in 1867 and then served as a circus and event venue. Poel ...

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

* 1941: première of ''

Mother Courage and her Children ''Mother Courage and Her Children'' () is a play written in 1939 by the German dramatist and poet Bertolt Brecht (1898–1956), with significant contributions from Margarete Steffin. Four theatrical productions were produced in Switzerland and ...

'' by Bertolt Brecht; directed by

Leopold Lindtberg Leopold Lindtberg (born in Vienna on 1 June 1902; died in Sils im Engadin/Segl on 18 April 1984) was an Austrian Swiss film and theatre director. He fled Austria due to the Machtergreifung in Germany and ultimately settled in Switzerland. Hi ...

at the

Schauspielhaus Zürich The Schauspielhaus Zürich () is one of the most prominent and important theatres in the history of German-speaking theater. It is also known as "Pfauenbühne" (Peacock Stage). The large theatre has 750 seats. The also operates three stages ...

* 1943: première of ''

The Good Person of Szechwan ''The Good Person of Szechwan'' (, first translated less literally as ''The Good Man of Setzuan'') is a play written by the German dramatist Bertolt Brecht, in collaboration with Margarete Steffin and Ruth Berlau. The play was begun in 1938 but no ...

'' by Bertolt Brecht; directed by Leonard Steckel at the Schauspielhaus ZürichWillett (1967, 51). * 1943: première of ''

Life of Galileo ''Life of Galileo'' (), also known as ''Galileo'', is a Play (theatre), play by the 20th century Germany, German dramatist Bertolt Brecht and collaborator Margarete Steffin with incidental music by Hanns Eisler. The play was written in 1938 and re ...

'' by Bertolt Brecht; directed by Leonard Steckel at the Schauspielhaus Zürich * 1948: première of ''

Mr Puntila and his Man Matti ''Mr Puntila and His Man Matti'' () is an epic comedy by the German modernist playwright Bertolt Brecht. It was written in 1940 and first performed in 1948. The story describes the aristocratic land-owner Puntila's relationship to his servant, Ma ...

'' by Bertolt Brecht; directed by

Kurt Hirschfeld Kurt Hirschfeld (born 10 March 1902 in Lehrte, Germany; died 8 November 1964 in Zurich) was a German theater director and dramaturg in Zurich. Life and career Kurt Hirschfeld was born on 10 March 1902 in Lehrte, Lower Saxony, Germany to the Jewi ...

and Brecht at the Schauspielhaus ZürichWillett (1967, 52). * 1949: ''

'' by Bertolt Brecht; directed by Brecht and

Erich Engel Erich Gustav Otto Engel (14 February 1891 – 10 May 1966) was a German film and theatre director.He is often confused with another German film director called Erich Engels (with an s), who specialised in comedy, and crime films. Biography ...

at the Deutsches Theater in Berlin * 1956: ''

'' by Bertolt Brecht; directed by

George Devine George Alexander Cassady Devine (20 November 1910 – 20 January 1966) was an English theatrical manager, director, teacher, and actor based in London from the early 1930s until his death. He also worked in TV and film. Early life and education ...

at the

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a West End theatre#London's non-commercial theatres, non-commercial theatre in Sloane Square, London, England, opene ...

in London * 1956: ''

'' by Bertolt Brecht; directed by

Eric Bentley Eric Russell Bentley (September 14, 1916 – August 5, 2020) was a British-born American theater critic, playwright, singer, editor, and translator. In 1998, he was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame. He was also a member of the New ...

at the Phoenix Theatre in New York City * 1957: ''

The Visions of Simone Machard ''The Visions of Simone Machard'' () is a play by the German modernist playwright Bertolt Brecht. Written in 1942, the play is the second of three treatments of the Joan of Arc story that Brecht created (after '' Saint Joan of the Stockyards'' (wri ...

'' by Bertolt Brecht; directed by

Harry Buckwitz Harry Buckwitz (13 March 1904 – 28 December 1987) was a German actor, theatre director and theatre manager. He was general manager of the Städtische Bühnen Frankfurt from 1951 and 1967, where he was responsible for opera and plays, and initia ...

at the

Schauspiel Frankfurt The Schauspiel Frankfurt is the municipal theatre company for plays in Frankfurt, Hesse, Germany. It is part of Städtische Bühnen Frankfurt. History In the late 1770s the theatre principal Abel Seyler was based in Frankfurt, and established ...

Willett (1967, 54).

References

Sources

* Banham, Martin, ed. 1998. ''The Cambridge Guide to Theatre.'' Cambridge: Cambridge UP. . * Baugh, Christopher. 1994. "Brecht and Stage Design: the ''Bühnenbildner'' and the ''Bühnenbauer''." In Thomson and Sacks (1994, 235-253). * Needle, Jan and Peter Thomson. 1981. ''Brecht''. Chicago: U of Chicago P; Oxford: Basil Blackwell. . * Thomson, Peter and Glendyr Sacks, eds. 1994. ''The Cambridge Companion to Brecht''. Cambridge Companions to Literature Ser. Cambridge: Cambridge UP. . * Willett, John. 1967. ''The Theatre of Bertolt Brecht: A Study from Eight Aspects.'' Third rev. ed. London: Methuen, 1977. . * ---. 1997. Introduction. ''Collected Plays: Three''. By

. Bertolt Brecht: Plays, Poetry, Prose Ser. London: Methuen. ix-xxvi. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Otto, Teo 1904 births 1968 deaths Swiss scenic designers Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany