The Theater Basel is the oldest municipal theatre in Switzerland, founded in 1834. The current building at Theaterplatz, a modern new construction from 1975, replaced the nineteenth-century city theatre after its demolition. The three-genre house produces drama, opera, and dance with three venues: the Grand House (1,000 seats), the Small Stage, and the Schauspielhaus. The Theater Basel was voted Opera House of the Year by Opernwelt magazine in 2018 and 2019 — the first Swiss house ever to receive this distinction. Under directors Andreas Beck and Andreas Homoki, the house established itself as one of the most distinguished addresses for contemporary music theatre in the German-speaking region.
The accolade went to a house housed in the sober 1975 concrete new-build — proof that top-tier opera does not depend on ornate façades.
At a glance
- Type
- Multi-genre theatre
- Location
- Basel, Switzerland
More venues in Switzerland
- Grand Théâtre de Genève · Opera house, Genf
- Luzerner Theater · Multi-genre theatre, Luzern
- Opernhaus Biel · Opera house, Biel
- Opernhaus Zürich · Opera house, Zurich
- Schauspielhaus Zürich · Theatre, Zurich
- Stadttheater Bern · Multi-genre theatre, Bern
- Theater St. Gallen · Multi-genre theatre, St. Gallen
- Theater Winterthur · Multi-genre theatre, Winterthur