"Theater, Circus, Variety," Theater of the Bauhaus [1924]
Moholy-Nagy, Laszlo
* : Moholy-Nagy referred to this idea as the Theater of Totality, a reinterpretation of Wagner's concept of "total theater." Moholy-Nagy's approach to the synthesis of the arts reduced the importance of the written word and the presence of the actor, placing them on an equal plateau with stage design, lighting, music, and visual composition. His concept of the "Mechanized Eccentric" injected the qualities of machinery into every aspect of the stage performance, including the costume design, props, and movement of the actors, resulting in a theater that emphasized the physical rather than the literary, and that reflected the speed, dynamism, and precision of state-of-the-art technology. It is notable that Moholy-Nagy integrated mechanical motifs in all his work-not only theater but also painting, photography, film, and sculpture.