George Grosz

‘In 1923, the complaints about the Berlin theatres, which had lost their direction, became more frequent. (...) (They) not only seemed to be hollowed out by inflation (...), but they also lost their greatest asset, their ensemble of actors, to film, so that concentrated work on the stages became impossible. Actors and directors reacted to this situation by forming several ‘free’ groups in order to preserve artistic theatre. (...) On 18 September, ‘Die Truppe’, founded by Berthold Viertel and Reinhard Bruck, performed ‘Der Kaufmann von Venedig’ for the first time in the Lustspielhaus. George Grosz, who designed the decorations and costumes for the première of ‘Nebeneinander’ by Georg Kaiser, also took part. The play, subtitled ‘Volksstück 1923’, had its premiere on 3 November 1923 (...). Kaiser divides his story into three parallel storylines that run side by side and take place in six different locations. (...) Grosz does not build real rooms, but places a wall in front of a stage backdrop stretched with fabric, which does not take up the entire width of the stage. In order to create the impression of a modern living room, real props are placed in front of this wall. (...) Grosz interprets Kaiser's text with his pictures, he continues it visually in his decorations by hinting at the possible consequences. (...) Kaiser and Grosz achieved their first popular success with ‘Nebeneinander’, but this was not transferred to the freely formed group of actors. These ‘free groups’ broke up at the moment when the Weimar Republic stabilised economically and politically and the artistic conditions on the stages consolidated.’ (Lothar Schirmer, George Grosz as a stage and costume designer, in: exhib. cat. George Grosz - Zeichnungen für Buch und Bühne, Stadtmuseum Berlin, 2001, p. 101 ff.).