Vorstadttheater Basel

The Vorstadttheater Basel was founded in 1974 under the name d'Spilkischte as the first independent theatre for children in Switzerland (from 1981 onwards Theater Spilkischte – Theater für alle). Thanks to its pioneering spirit and innovative approach, it soon became known far beyond the country’s borders.

Ruth Oswalt (born 1946) and Gerd Imbsweiler  (1941–2013) directed the theater for more than 30 years. For her artistic work, Ruth Oswalt received, among other distinctions, the Art Prize of the City of Basel (1987) and the Hans Reinhart Ring (1999). Her archive was transferred to the ownership of the SAPA Foundation at the end of March.

In 2021, as part of its oral history programme, the SAPA Foundation conducted a narrative interview with Ruth Oswalt. The resulting video portrait, just under 20 minutes in length, integrates materials from the archive and offers a striking insight into her artistic work. The portrait can be accessed via the SAPA Foundation's website.

The diverse holdings of the Vorstadttheater Basel were catalogued thanks to the generous support of the Christoph Merian Stiftung and the Swisslos Fund of the Canton of Basel-Stadt. Around 50 productions are now documented with photographs, play texts, video recordings, correspondence and press material. From 1975 onwards, video recordings become increasingly frequent. The documentation relating to funding also provides insights into funding practices of the time.

With the acquisition of this collection and the creation of the film portrait, a new chapter begins in the engagement with the history of the Vorstadttheater Basel and with the work of Ruth Oswalt.