Lotte Goslar

Lotte Goslar (1907-1997)

Born in Dresden, Germany to a family who could not afford to pay for formal dance lessons, at age 10 her aunt gave her a present of two-month tuition in Mary Wigman’s studio, where she met dancer Gret Palucca. In 1932, she joined Palucca’s company. In 1933, following the Nazis’ rise to power, she moved to Prague and performed in The Pepermill, the anti-fascist satirical cabaret of Erica Mann, daughter of the famous German author.

In 1942, she went with Peppermill on a tour in the US, where she remained and was invited to perform in Turnabout Theater in Hollywood, on an eight-week contract eventually extended to ten years. During this time, Goslar began teaching dance and clowning and became an important figure in the 1940s Hollywood comedy scene. Among other things, she came to know Brecht, at the time living in California, and choreographed the English version of his play Galileo. Later on, Brecht wrote a script for her called Circus Stage.
In 1952, Goslar organized a company called Lotte Goslar’s Pantomime Circus. The company was active until the early 1990s, touring the US and Europe.
In the early 1980s, Goslar visited Israel for several months and created a children and youth program for Batsheva called Clowns and Other Fools (1983).

Goslar died in 1997 in West Cornwall, Connecticut.