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collections

The cultural memory of the performing arts

Jürg Stockar, Author: Othmar Schoeck, Title: "Massimilla. Opera in 4 acts and 6 pictures", 1937, Stadttheater Zürich, © Stiftung SAPA
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Insights into our archive

Discover selected highlights that not only provide a glimpse into the past, but also offer inspiration for future developments.

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Stadttheater Bern

Vorstadttheater

Beatriz Consuelo

Leopold Biberti

Noemi Lapzeson

Liliane Hodel

La Rose des Vents

Helmut Schilling

Prix de Lausanne

Our archive
at a glance

Our collections encompass the diverse cultural production in the field of the performing arts. Are you interested in the work of a choreographer, or would you like to explore our special collection of stage design models and drawings? At SAPA you will find what you are looking for.

Lifetime gifts and bequests

Whether director, set designer or small-scale theater: at SAPA you will find lifetime deposit and estate papers relating to individuals and institutions that have shaped Swiss stage practice.

Image: Peter Heubi, Ballet Felix Blaska, Paris, year and photographer unknown, © Peter Heubi

Cabaret archive  

The Swiss Cabaret Archive encompasses artistic work in the fields of cabaret and stage art from its beginnings in the First World War to current developments.

Image: Poster Clown Dimitri, Cabaret Archive, SAPA Foundation, © Estate of Dimitri

Directory of productions

Would you like to know which play was performed when, where and by whom on Swiss stages? We maintain a curated directory of professional stage productions and amateur theatre in Switzerland.

Image: Snow White and Rose Red, premiere 28.11.1999 at the Stadttheater Bern, photographer: Jürg Müller

Theaterlexikon der Schweiz

The Theaterlexikon (Encyclopaedia of Theatre in Switzerland) provides information in over 3 600 entries on theatre and dance in Switzerland. It was published in 2005 by Andreas Kotte and the Institute of Theatre Studies at the University of Bern and, since 2025, has formed part of SAPA’s collections. It is accessible online (see the search function directly below) and is linked to our holdings.

Image: Gerd Imbsweiler and Ruth Oswalt, Vorstadttheater Basel, photographer: Claude Giger

Start your research

Make use of our extensive resources. We provide you with a comprehensive insight into the cultural heritage of the performing arts in Switzerland.

Your collections in our archive

Do you hold relevant documents, a private archive or private archival collections of national significance, or sources that represent the performing arts of a particular region or artistic movement in a unique way? Entrust your treasures to the SAPA Foundation.

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