Emil Orlik
In front of the palace from “Oedipus Rex”
1910
(Production by Max Reinhardt at Circus Schumann Berlin, 1910)
Gouache
Theater Studies Collection of the University of Cologne
Emil Orlik (1870–1932) was just as fascinated by Max Reinhardt’s (1873–1943) production of “Oedipus Rex” at Circus Schumann as Käthe Kollwitz was. His depiction of a performance in front of an audience reveals the innovative nature of Reinhardt’s concept: the performance took place in the midst of the spectators, thus largely eliminating the separation between the audience and the stage. The spectators thus participated in the play as “the people,” so to speak.