A richly creative community, Basel is home to many theatres celebrating artistic expression through plays, opera, musicals, and dance. Companies and troupes from all over the world pass through the city’s remarkable venues, and you can usually see long lines of people standing outside the glittering marquees on performance nights. From pre-show cocktails to cocktail attire, it’s a social and cultural celebration start to finish.
Theater Basel
Just off Barfüsserplatz, this centrally located theater braids together three main threads of the performing arts — plays, ballet, and opera — making it the largest theatre of its kind in Switzerland. Their programme spans the classics such as Romeo and Juliet, My Fair Lady, The Fairy Queen, and Carmen, as well as the more modern, accompanied by their magnificent orchestra. Most plays are in German, although you can catch the theatre’s final English language performance, The Great Gatsby, at the end of January 2012.
Elisabethenstrasse 16 • 4051 Basel
Tel: +41 61 295 11 00
www.theater-basel.ch
Musical Theater Basel
Part of the biggest Fair and Congress development in Switzerland, Musical Theater Basel is one of the newest theaters and concert halls in the country. It houses just over 1550 seats in their 900m auditorium, staging quality performances from yesterday and today: Phantom of the Opera, Swan Lake, Grease, Thriller Live, and more.
Feldbergstrasse 151 • 4057 Basel
Tel: +41 61 699 88 99
www.musicaltheaterbasel.ch
Kunst in Riehen
Welcoming the best classical musicians from all over the world for more than 50 years. They honor the traditions of Schubert, Mendelssohn, and Chopin, among others, with an outstanding lineup of dymanic duos, trios, quartets, quintets, and beyond.
Tickets available through one of Basel’s most famous bookstores, Bider & Tanner:
Aeschenvorstadt 2 • 4010 Basel
Tel: +41 61 206 99 96
www.kunstinriehen.ch
Kammerorchester Basel (Basel Chamber Orchestra)
One of the top chamber orchestras in Europe, touring all over the continent. In town, you can usually find them at the Ackermannshof Basel.
St. Johanns-Vorstadt 19/21 • 4056 Basel
Tel: +41 61 306 30 40
Basel Sinfonietta
Presenting both known and unknown works of music, the Basel Sinfonietta never stops exploring new ideas. They give audiences not just a performance, but a ‘symphonetic experience,’ such as the chance to see and hear a live soundtrack to a silent film. Touring frequently through some of Europe’s top festivals, they are also the only Swiss orchestra to be invited four times to the famous annual Salzburg Festival.
Dornacherstrasse 390 • 4018 Basel
Tel: +41 61 335 54 15
Basel Bach-Chor (Basel Bach Choir)
The timeless work of Johann Sebastian Bach in beautiful Martinskirche (St. Martin’s Church), Basel’s oldest parish church.
Bach Choir:
Von-Teuffel-Strasse 4/1 • 79400 Kandern
Martinskirche Basel:
Martinskirchplatz 4 • 4051 Basel
Tel: +41 61 261 45 07
Children’s Theatre
Basel has several theatres for children—young to adult! Offering old-fashioned puppet shows, fairy stories, plays, comedy, circus, musicals, and even Santa Claus specials, these well-loved places bring stories to life in a way the whole family can enjoy.
Theater Arlecchino
Colorful, vibrant productions covering a range of genres for all ages.
Amerbachstrasse 14 • 4057 Basel
Tel: +41 61 331 68 56
www.theater-arlecchino.ch
Basler Kinder Theater (Basel Children’s Theatre)
Showcasing the kinds of timeless fairy tales and classic adventures brought to us by the Brothers Grimm and Robert Louis Stevenson, the Basel Children’s Theatre is precisely that: by children, for children.
Schützengraben 9 • 4051 Basel
Tel: +41 61 261 28 87
Basel Puppet Theatre
Founded more than 60 years ago, this theatre hosts unique puppet shows in an equally unique setting: a beautiful vaulted basement in Münsterplatz. Daytime shows for children and evening performances for adults.
Münsterplatz 8 • 4051 Basel
Tel: +41 61 261 06 12
