Museum Night Bern 2026

While theatre specifically written, staged, and performed for children and young people originated in the 17th century, it has primarily evolved into an independent component of the European theatre landscape over the past 70 years. The Vorstadttheater Basel, founded in 1974 under the name «Theater Spilkischte», was the first professional children's and youth theatre in German-speaking Switzerland.

Since 2021, the SAPA Foundation has been in possession of the archive of Ruth Oswalt and Gerd Imbsweiler, who founded this theatre group. Video and audio recordings, photographs, texts, letters, children's drawings, and much more have thus found their way to SAPA and can now be admired for the first time.

The exhibition explores the history of the Vorstadttheater Basel and displays selected treasures from its first thirty years of existence. Furthermore, it adopts various perspectives, such as the photographic view, reviews by school classes, or a personal interview with Ruth Oswalt, to shed light on the group's work.

Panel discussion with director Antonia Brix

6:30 | 8:00 | 9:30 PM

In conversation with director Antonia Brix, who regularly staged plays at the Vorstadttheater between 1991 and 2005, we learn more about this form of theatre and discuss the current children's and youth theatre scene in Switzerland.

Behind the scenes

7:00 | 8:30 | 10:00 PM

Following the panel discussion, a guided tour of the SAPA Foundation's archive rooms will be offered. A diverse array of documents will be presented, ranging from old program booklets and artistic stage design sketches to other unique treasures.