Vorstadttheater Basel
In 1974, Ruth Oswalt (*1946) and Gerd Imbsweiler (1941–2013) founded a theatre in Basel under the name «Spilkischte», which from the outset was dedicated to children and young audiences. Since 1999, it has operated as the Vorstadttheater Basel. Over three decades, an archive was created that is far more than a collection of documents.
The collection comprises approximately 17 linear metres of documents from 1974 to 2007 (with individual dossiers extending to 2010). It documents around 50 productions and tours, the history of the institution, its artistic development, and its socio-political stance. SAPA has now systematically catalogued, conserved, and made this valuable material accessible to the public.
The material is as diverse as the theatre itself: In addition to correspondence, production documents, and press documents, the collection comprises around 2,500 photographic documents, video recordings of performances, and audio recordings, including rehearsals, discussions, and radio broadcasts. The latter were digitised in collaboration with Radio SRF, which processed the DRS productions available in the collection. Performances have been regularly documented by video recordings since 1975. 26 of these videos are now publicly accessible via Vimeo.
The project also features the voice of Ruth Oswalt. In an Oral History Interview lasting over five hours, she reflects on her life's work, thereby supplementing the documents with memories, insights, and contexts not found anywhere else. The resulting video portrait, just under 20 minutes long, is available on the SAPA Foundation website.
The processing of the collection is already being integrated into academic research. In the publication «Kinder- und Jugendtheater in der Schweiz: Eine Bestandsaufnahme» (BOP Books, 2023), the «Spilkischte» is extensively discussed, illustrated with photographs from the collection, and supported by the expertise of SAPA specialists who advised the author team in advance.
The diverse collection of the Vorstadttheater Basel was made accessible thanks to the generous support of the Christoph Merian Foundation and the Swisslos Fund Canton Basel-Stadt.