Title: Wolfgang Roth Papers
Inclusive Dates: 1936-1973

Creator:

• Roth, Wolfgang

Call Number: U.S. Mss 44AN

Quantity: 1.6 c.f. (4 archives boxes)

Repository:

Wisconsin Historical Society Archives / Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research
Contact Information

Archival Locations:

COLLECTION MAY BE STORED OFF-SITE: see catalog entry to request materials and for additional information.

Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)

Abstract:

Papers of a stage designer, consisting of photographs, original and photostatic copies of set, prop, and costume designs and some annotated scripts, sketches, and lighting plots for various dramatic and operatic productions in the United States and Germany. Of special interest is Roth's reminiscent article about his relationship with Bertolt Brecht and his set designs for Brecht on Brecht (1961).

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-us0044an

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Wolfgang Roth is an internationally prominent stage designer, theatrical consultant, and painter. He was born in Berlin, Germany, on 25 February 1910 to Heinrich and Frima (Margulies) Roth. He began his artistic career by studying decorative painting and was masterpupil at the State Academy of Arts in Berlin. His interests turned toward the theatre and he completed his design and painting apprenticeship at Erwin Piscator's theatre, where he eventually became a professional designer. Roth also worked as assistant art designer at the state theatres and operas as well as at privately owned theatres; studied under and collaborated in productions with Bertolt Brecht; and was both designer for and performer in political reviews, cabarets, and experimental films.

After leaving Germany in 1933, he worked in Vienna as a stage designer and architect for a year, then went to Zurich where he created unusual sets for vaudeville and variety shows, a first for Continental theatre. Playing the part of a musical clown, he also performed in vaudeville and circuses, and designed for musical plays, operas, operettas, and dramas.

In 1938 Roth designed for Erwin Piscator's London production of War and Peace and then took up permanent residence in the United States. In 1940 he married Lee Greenspan and in 1945 became a naturalized U.S. citizen. Since then he has worked in the U.S. and in Canada, designing for summer theatres, Broadway, off-Broadway, industrial shows, ballet, and for the major New York and other U.S. opera companies. He also commutes to Europe on occasion to fulfill similar commitments there. In 1957 he created, designed, and produced a dance-pantomime The Littlest Circus, which toured the U.S. and Canada and has been shown on WCBS - TV.

Roth is a life-member of United Scenic Artists and he was Master teacher of Stage Design at New York University's School of the Arts until 1972. Since 1942 he has had numerous one man shows of his paintings and theatrical designs in the New York City area and elsewhere.

The Wolfgang Roth Papers, 1936-1973, mainly document his work as a stage designer, creator, and producer of theatrical, operatic, and television productions in North America and in Europe. The bulk of the collection is composed of original or photostats of drawings, sketches, blueprints, sepia prints, and photographs of stage, set, prop, and costume designs. (The container list indicates those that are mounted.) The collection also includes scripts annotated with notes, sketches, lighting plots, and doodles for Pinkville (1970) and Kaspar (1972), a script for School for Wives (1956), and a 1/4-inch scale stage model for The Merchant of Venice (1966) and a 1/2-inch scale model for The Deadly Game (1961). This production material is described chronologically, and the opening date and location of each individual production is included when known.

There is also one folder of biographical material, 1967, and a reprint of Roth's 1972 article “Brecht Today,” concerning his artistic and personal relationships with Brecht between 1929 and 1933.

Acquisition Information

Placed on deposit by Wolfgang Roth, NY, NY, on 28 December 1961 and on 20 June 1973. Accession Number: MCHC62-016, MCHC73-055, and MCHC62-030

Processing Information

Processed by E. McKay and G. Siordia, 1975.

Box   4 Folder   1	Series: Biographical Material; 1967, March
	Series: Article	⇧
Box   4 Folder   8	“Brecht Today,” a reprint of an article by Roth, 1972
	Series: Production Materials	⇧
	Massamilla Doni
Box   1 Folder   1	1 photograph of stage of Zurich opera house, 1936 Note: Mounted on a single sheet with other photos.
	Cosa Fantutti
Box   1 Folder   1	2 photographs of design models for turntable stage, 1937 Note: Mounted on a single sheet with other photos.
	Pointed Heads, Round Heads
Box   1 Folder   2	3 photographs of sketches for turntable stage, 1936-1937 Note: Mounted on a single sheet.
	Jemand
Box   1 Folder   3	2 photographs of stage model and of production, 1938 Note: Mounted on a single sheet.
	The Sixth Floor (La sixième étage) (London, New York, 1939)
Box   1 Folder   4	Photostat of stage design drawing, 1938-1939
Box   1 Folder   4	Mounted photograph of set design drawing, 1938-1939 Note: Mounted with another photo.
	Androcles and the Lion
Box   1 Folder   5	4 production photos mounted on one sheet, 1946
Box   1 Folder   5	1 set working drawings and blueprints, 1946
	School for Scandal (projected but not produced)
Box   1 Folder   4	1 photograph of set design drawing, 1946
Box   1 Folder   6	1 sheet of pencil drawings, 1948-1949
	Down in the Valley (Bloomington, Indiana, world premiere, 1948)
Box   1 Folder   7	3 blueprints of floor plan and set designs
Box   1 Folder   7	1 photostat of stage design
	Hansel and Gretel (Toronto Opera, 1948)
Box   1 Folder   8	1 photostat of three photographs of stage models
	Skin of Our Teeth (Boston, 1948)
Box   1 Folder   9	2 photostats of set designs
	Knickerbocker Holiday (1949)
Box   1 Folder   10	Photostats of production photographs mounted on one sheet
	Torquato Tasso (1949)
Box   1 Folder   11	Photostat of 3 production photographs
	Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep (NY, 1950)
Box   1 Folder   12	1 original design for backdrop of 1 of 11 scenes
Box   1 Folder   12	Photostats of original design drawings mounted on 3 sheets
	Tower Beyond Tragedy
Box   1 Folder   13	1 photostat of stage set, mounted, 1950
	Bernardine
Box   1 Folder   14	Preliminary Sketches on sepia, mounted on 2 sheets, 1952
	The Old Maid and the Thief
Box   1 Folder   15	1 production photograph, mounted, 1952
	Porgy and Bess (European tour, 1952-1956?)
Box   1 Folder   16	3 photostats of set design drawings, mounted
Box   1 Folder   16	4 color photographs of set, mounted on one sheet
Box   4 Folder   2	1 souvenir book
	Cirque magique
Box   1 Folder   17	1 sketch for set, tempera and ink, mounted, 1953
	Don Pasquale (Metropolitan Opera, 1955)
Box   1 Folder   18	1 blueprint of master plan of set design for Metropolitan Opera House and for road production
	Faust (Washington, D.C., 1956)
Box   1 Folder   19	1 blueprint of set design
	The Good Woman of Setzuan (Phoenix Theatre, 1956)
Box   1 Folder   20	3 original working drawings
Box   1 Folder   20	3 blueprints of set design
	School for Wives (New York City Opera, 1956)
Box   2 Folder   1	6 sheets of photostats of costume designs
Box   2 Folder   1	1 color painting of elevations, mounted
Box   4 Folder   2	1 typed script
	Portofino (NY, 1957)
Box   2 Folder   2	3 original drawings for set design
Box   2 Folder   2	11 set design blueprints
Box   2 Folder   2	1 photostat of backdrop design
	The Deadly Game (NY, 1961)
Box   2 Folder   3	5 original drawings for set design
Box   2 Folder   3	1 blueprint for set design
	Macbeth
Box   2 Folder   4	1 photostat of blueprint of basic lighting layout of Cincinnati opera building
Box   2 Folder   4	10 photostats of blueprints of floorplans and elevations
	The Littlest Circus (USA tour, 1960-1962)
Box   4 Folder   4	Souvenir booklet
	Brecht on Brecht (NY, 1961)
Box   2 Folder   5	1 photostat of blueprint of set design
	Don Carlos
Box   2 Folder   6	6 photographs of original set designs, mounted on 2 sheets
	Do You Know the Milky Way? (NY, 1963)
Box   2 Folder   7	1 blueprint of set design
	The Life of Galileo Galilei (Philadelphia, 1964)
Box   2 Folder   8	1 original drawing of set design
Box   2 Folder   8	2 sepia prints of scenic sequence, 1 mounted
Box   2 Folder   8	3 blueprints of set design
	Gaspar Varro's Recht (Wupperthal, Germany, 1965)
Box   2 Folder   9	1 blueprint of stage design
	Danton's Death (NYC Opera, 1966)
Box   2 Folder   10	2 sheets, blueprints of set design
	The Merchant of Venice (1966)
Box   2 Folder   11	2 sepia prints of stage, set, and prop designs
	Trevor (Berlin, Germany, 1969)
Box   2 Folder   12	9 sheets, original sketches and suggestions for props and sets Note: Interspersed with Das Spitzenkleid material.
	Das Spitzenkleid (Berlin, Germany, 1969)
Box   2 Folder   12	9 sheets, original sketches and suggestions for props and sets Note: Interspersed with Trevor material.
	The Cannibals (Die Kannibalen) (Berlin, Germany, 1969)
Box   2 Folder   13	2 original projection designs
Box   2 Folder   13	1 photostat of set design
	The Trial (Hartford Stage Co., 1969)
Box   3 Folder   1	1 original isometric design for unit set, mounted
Box   3 Folder   1	3 sheets of photostats of prop designs
Box   3 Folder   1	1 sepia print of set design
Box   3 Folder   1	10 designs and montages for slide projections, mounted Note: To be projected on 3 screens simultaneously.
	Leda Had a Little Swan (NY, 1969-1970)
Box   4 Folder   5	Suggestions for scenic and total production development
	Pinkville (NY, 1970)
Box   4 Folder   6	Script, fourth draft, including notes, lighting plans, sketches, and doodles
	School for Fathers (Philadelphia, 1971)
Box   3 Folder   2	2 sheets, blueprints for stage design
Box   3 Folder   2	4 sheets, original discussion sketches of stage design
	Twelve Angry Men (NY, 1972)
Box   3 Folder   3	1 blueprint of stage design
	Kaspar (NY, 1972)
Box   4 Folder   7	Script, including notes, lighting plot, and sketches
	Johnny Johnson, n.d.
Box   3 Folder   4	12 sheets of photostats of design sketches with additional charcoal and pencil sketching
	Lucky Pehr (NY), n.d.
Box   3 Folder   5	1 photograph of stage model