What was Lothar Schreyer's role at the Bauhaus?

Master and head of the stage workshop, called by Walter Gropius in 1921, bringing a professional theatre background from Hamburg's Deutsches Schauspielhaus.

Why did Lothar Schreyer leave the Bauhaus?

His production Mondspiel failed in front of its audience in 1923 — not a budget cut or political campaign, but a piece that simply did not work.

Who took over the Bauhaus stage workshop after Schreyer?

Oskar Schlemmer, from 1923, who made it geometric and mechanical where Schreyer's had been expressionist and liturgical.

Can I visit where Lothar Schreyer worked?

Yes, Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, where he ran the stage workshop from 1921 to 1923.

Lothar Schreyer

1886–1966

German

playwrightpainterhead of the Bauhaus stage workshop

Biography

For two years the Bauhaus stage was run by a man who had come from a professional theatre — until a single performance ended his time at the school.

From the Hamburg theatre to Weimar, 1911–1921

Born at Dresden-Blasewitz in 1886, Schreyer worked between 1911 and 1918 as a dramaturge and assistant director at the Deutsches Schauspielhaus in Hamburg^[1] — a professional theatre training, which is not the background one expects at a design school. In 1921 Gropius called him to the Staatliches Bauhaus as a master and head of the stage workshop.^[1]

Judged by an audience, 1923

He left the Bauhaus in 1923 after his production Mondspiel failed^[1] — not a budget cut, not a political campaign, but a piece that did not work in front of the people it was made for. Oskar Schlemmer took the stage workshop from 1923^[2] and made it the thing the Bauhaus is remembered for in the theatre.

Afterwards, 1923–1966

He lived until 1966 and died in Hamburg, the city whose theatre had trained him.^[1] His two Weimar years are the road not taken by the Bauhaus stage — expressionist and liturgical where Schlemmer's would be geometric and mechanical.

Questions visitors ask

What was Lothar Schreyer's role at the Bauhaus?: Master and head of the stage workshop, called by Walter Gropius in 1921, bringing a professional theatre background from Hamburg's Deutsches Schauspielhaus.^[1]
Why did Lothar Schreyer leave the Bauhaus?: His production Mondspiel failed in front of its audience in 1923^[1] — not a budget cut or political campaign, but a piece that simply did not work.
Who took over the Bauhaus stage workshop after Schreyer?: Oskar Schlemmer, from 1923,^[2] who made it geometric and mechanical where Schreyer's had been expressionist and liturgical.
Can I visit where Lothar Schreyer worked?: Yes, Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, where he ran the stage workshop from 1921 to 1923.

Sources

Lothar Schreyer — Bauhaus Kooperation, retrieved 29 August 2026
Oskar Schlemmer — Bauhaus Kooperation, retrieved 29 August 2026

Notable Works & Achievements

the Bauhaus stage workshop, 1921–1923

Mondspiel

Connected Places in Weimar

Bauhaus University Main BuildingSchool

Geschwister-Scholl-Straße 8, 99423 Weimar

He ran the stage workshop in the school's buildings from 1921 to 1923.[^bauhauskooperation-schreyer]

Historical Context

Bauhaus in Weimar (1919–1925)1919–1925

Master and head of the stage workshop in the Weimar years, 1921–1923.

The Bauhaus was founded in Weimar in 1919 and voted out by 1925 — time enough to change what a design school is, and not enough for the town that made it to keep it.

Quick Facts

Born:

1886

Died:

1966

Nationality: