Richard Rychtarik

Waslav Richard Rychtarik (July 20, 1894 — July 10, 1982 ) was a Czech-born American set and costume designer. His significance was in his efforts to bring modernism to operatic and theatrical stage productions primarily during the 1930s and 1940s. Despite his work for opera and theater, his best known work was as set designer for the television series The Honeymooners.

Career He was born Choceň in what is now the Czech Republic.

During Rychtarik's early years he became obsessed with the stage. He claimed to have attended performances at National Theatre of Prague nearly every day, staging puppet performances in his home, even constructing a set in his high school gymnasium. At a time when one could not study staging design, he studied architecture at the Czech Technical University in Prague.

He viewed Max Reinhardt as a primary influence. Obtaining small jobs assisting the theatrical crew, he was able to follow Reinhardt's work around Europe.

He first visited the United States in 1920. before settling permanently in 1925.

After emigration he began working for the Cleveland Play House, and the Cleveland Orchestra.

Under the leadership of conductor Artur Rodziński, the Cleveland Orchestra embarked upon a series of staged operas. Rychtarik was able to infuse his creations with the ideas which he absorbed from Reinhardt as well as modernist designers such as Vlastislav Hofman. In 1947 became the Met's technical director.

His single Broadway production was the short-lived musical Once Over Lightly which opened November 19, 1942.

In 1949 he joined CBS as chief scenic designer for television. He retired from CBS in 1964.

Richard Rychtarik died at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City after a brief illness.

He married his second wife, Gertrud (known as Trude) Schwarzschild (1912–2003) in 1952. (Her previous marriage to Oskar Freitag ended with his death.) They had one daughter.