Colourful Theatre Scene (2026–2027)

As part of the project «Colourful Theatre Scene», the SAPA Foundation is digitizing selected video recordings from approximately 40 years of Swiss theatre production. Rare, partly unique documents from various linguistic regions and theatre contexts are being preserved, catalogued, and, where legally possible, made available online.

Video recordings are among the most important sources in the performing arts. Many collections and estates acquired by SAPA therefore contain extensive video holdings of varying quality. In addition, there are recordings from the collecting activities of its predecessor institution, the Swiss Theatre Collection. Since the early 1980s, it has acquired approximately 12,000 recordings of theatre and dance performances. Many of these materials have until now only been broadly catalogued.

The selection showcases the breadth of Swiss theatre beyond the major venues. It ranges from repertory theatre to the independent scene, and from pantomime, puppet theatre, and clowning to inclusive theatre, as well as children's and youth theatre. Among those represented are Mime Bern, Kumpane, Theater Sgaramusch, Teatro Sunil and Théâtre Am Stram Gram. The documents are available in German, Swiss German, French, and Italian, and reflect both urban and rural contexts.

A large portion of the selected tapes are originals or unique items. SAPA digitises these recordings, archives them long-term on special archival tapes (LTO-7), and makes them accessible according to international standards in the online database SPAP.

The project can be realised thanks to the generous support of Memoriav.