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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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Overview
Research
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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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Prix de Lausanne

Noemi Lapzeson

Suburban theater

Beatriz Consuelo

Leopold Biberti

Liliane Hodel

Bern City Theater

La Rose des Vents

Helmut Schilling

Our archive
at a glance

Our holdings encompass the diverse cultural output in the field of performing arts. Are you interested in the work of a choreographer or would you like to delve into our special collection of stage designs? You will find what you are looking for at SAPA.

Precedents and estates

Whether director, stage designer or small theater: at SAPA you will find the legacies and estates of personalities and institutions that have shaped Swiss stage design.

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

Cabaret archive  

The Swiss Cabaret Archive covers artistic creation in the field of cabaret and stage art from its beginnings in the First World War to current developments.

Image: Poster Clown Dimitri, Cabaret Archive, SAPA Foundation, © Erben Dimitri

Directory 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 theater in Switzerland.

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

Theater lexicon of Switzerland

The Theaterlexikon provides information on theater and dance in Switzerland in over 3600 entries. It was published in 2005 by Andreas Kotte and the Institute of Theater Studies at the University of Bern and has been part of the SAPA collections since 2025. It can be accessed online (see research immediately below) and is linked to our holdings.

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

start your research at

Take advantage of our extensive resources. We offer you a comprehensive insight into the cultural heritage of the performing arts in Switzerland.

Your collections in our archive

Do you own relevant documents, a private archive or private archive holdings of national interest or sources that uniquely represent the performing arts of a region or an artistic movement? Donate your treasures to the SAPA Foundation!

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