Venues

Not only is the Schauspielhaus Zürich the largest stage for spoken drama in Switzerland, it is also one of the most renowned theatres in the German-speaking world. With the traditional Pfauen in Zurich-Hottingen and the Schiffbau in Zurich-West, which opened in 2000, the Schauspielhaus Zürich is home to two large venues in different parts of the city. Around twenty new productions are staged every season. The 750-seat Pfauen auditorium performs a different play from its repertoire almost every day, while the Schiffbau features the Halle, which can seat between 400 and 600 people depending on the seating arrangement, and the Box, which can seat 200 people, for a series of performances. In addition, further productions take place in the Kammer, which is located in the basement of the Pfauen and offers 70 seats. Other productions are staged by the Junges Schauspielhaus in the Matchbox, which is located in the Schiffbau and provides 70 seats. Moreover, there are also revivals, guest productions, special and externally organised events. The Schauspielhaus stages around 600 performances a year, with a total daily capacity of up to 1,500 seats.

Located opposite the Kunsthaus on Heimplatz/Rämistrasse, the Pfauen is the largest stage of the Schauspielhaus. A proscenium stage by design, the Pfauen can seat up to 750 spectators in the stalls, circle and boxes. The programme features ten new productions per season, with performances taking place almost daily on the Pfauen stage. Alongside well-known classics from ancient times, the Shakespeare era, and the German and classical modernist periods, the Pfauen repertoire increasingly includes new plays and world premieres.

The Kammer is another small stage run by the Schauspielhaus, located in the basement of the Pfauen. Renovated and refurbished in the summer of 2006, it now has room for around 70 spectators. Here, young directors and assistant directors are given the opportunity to showcase their own styles with the ensemble.

In 2000, the Schiffbau, located in the Escher-Wyss neighbourhood, became an integral part of the Schauspielhaus. Three adjacent venues regularly host series of performances: the Halle, which provides seating for between 400 and 600 people, the Box, which offers seats for up to 200 people, and the Matchbox, which accommodates 70 people and is managed by the Junges Schauspielhaus. Since its redesign in 2009, the spacious foyer has also become an inviting place to sit and relax. The listed industrial hall, where ships were once built, was converted by architects Ortner & Ortner between 1996 and 2000 and was also extended with new buildings. Christoph Marthaler opened the Halle in September 2000 with his own production of ‘Hotel Angst’. The theatre’s rehearsal stages, workshops and offices are located here, as are the LaSalle Restaurant & Bar and the Moods jazz club. The venue is also available to hire for events such as the annual Schiffbau Festival. From 1 January 2011 onwards, Schiffbau Immobilien AG, in which the city holds a two-thirds stake and Schauspielhaus Zürich AG holds a one-third stake, took over as the Schiffbau’s new, economically independent sponsor, thereby guaranteeing its continued existence as a venue for contemporary theatre.