Theaters Switzerland

Not to be missed! In summer, the Théâtre de Orangerie is at the heart of an extremely pleasant setting, at the top of the Parc Lagrange, in a garden next to the two greenhouses. Built in the ^19th century, the venue has retained its original dual function as a small theater in summer and a greenhouse for orange trees in winter. It offers a short but intense season of fine classics from the theatrical repertoire, lesser-known plays and contemporary creations. The bistro La Terrazza de l'Orangerie offers food and drink before and after the show. There's even dancing!

Chapeau le Poche! This theater is revolutionizing the world of live art with its contemporary, participatory spirit. Actors you will be, actors you will see. There's real interaction with the audience in this small 130-seat venue. With no fewer than 140 performances a year, you'll be buzzing with excitement every time the curtains open. Poche/GVE is a theater devoted exclusively to the writing of today: you'll see and hear only plays written in the 2010s and beyond.

A place steeped in history and a brilliant conversion of a former neighborhood cinema into a 100-seat theater. Showcasing local artists and independent works is essential to encourage the effervescence of artistic creation. Its watchwords are multidisciplinarity, entertainment and modernity. A theater of creation par excellence, rather than a performance venue like some in Geneva, its small, tiered auditorium remains cosy, fostering proximity and intimacy with the artists.

This Geneva-based company has been presenting its work since 1978. It presents its own shows for the general public, and also hosts productions by other independent theater and dance companies around ten times a year. The theater is quite intimate, allowing for real proximity with its audience (only 200 seats). It also organizes courses and workshops for children aged between 7 and 13 who wish to familiarize themselves with theater, offering them a wide range of experiences. Participates in the Festival de la Bâtie.

It's a small, pocket-sized theater that knows how to convey the magical atmosphere and the joy of seeing a new play, in an intimate setting, where the passion for theater, embodied by the actors and actresses, can be experienced again and again. The "largest of small theaters" allows us to get up close and personal with the audience, a welcome that is much appreciated; after the show, you can meet the actors in the foyer and share your impressions. The theater is close to a small esplanade offering one of the finest views of the Jura mountains and lake below.

A must in the new culture of the Vaud region. Located under the Chauderon Bridge, below the Rue de Genève, the Centre d'art scénique contemporain offers creations mixing theatre, music, dance, installations and performances. The place gives pride of place to discovery. The posters are always very original, the programming complete and varied. Much better than a poison, L'Arsenic is a natural sedative for the cultured sick! Also enjoy the friendly bar where the meals on premiere nights are offered!

In the heart of the old Planches district, you'll discover this beautiful comedy theater. An old Bernese-style building, the Maison Visinand houses Montreux's cultural center and, in the basement, the Montreux-Riviera theater. Its small auditorium, in a cellar, offers excellent acoustics. The program is excellent and rich, offering both classic plays and comedy shows. After the show, you can meet the actors, from both Swiss and French troupes.

L'Octogone théâtre de Pully offers 25 different shows a year, concerts and plays mainly from Paris, but it is above all one of the first institutions in French-speaking Switzerland to have reserved a special place for contemporary dance. For more than 15 years, it has boasted the presence of the greatest international choreographers such as Carolyn Carlson and William Forsythe. It also contributes to the promotion of local creations and offers the Linga company a residence within its walls.

One of the first places in Lausanne where culture replaced industry, in 1979, when theatre-makers gathered around Philippe Mentha founded the Théâtre Kléber-Méleau, which they built with their own hands in the building of a former gas factory in the industrial zone of Renens. As an advocate and promoter of the dramatic arts, the KTM has over the years been able to programme classic plays that attract a growing audience. It also offers a programme of classical and world music throughout the seasons.

Martine Jeanneret and Lova Golovtchiner have been programming top-quality comedy shows since 1970. Numerous Swiss and foreign artists have performed here, including Thierry Romanens, Jean-Luc Bideau and the Mummenschanz. In its more than fifty years of existence, the Boulimie theater has always remained true to its primary vocation: the illustration and defense of humor in all its forms. The theater has staged plays by Eugène Ionesco, Boris Vian and Woody Allen. Book early, as the theater sells out fast.

The Grange de Dorigny is the theatre of the University of Lausanne, a place where art meets academia, a meeting place for the public of the university site and the city. About ten professional theatre performances are presented there each season, as well as a multidisciplinary student festival. The programme is innovative and varied. Students also perform in concerts and there is a bar and exhibition rooms in the foyer (open an hour before and after the performances), all in a very pleasant, airy setting.

Why 2.21? This strange name corresponds to the number once assigned to a truck repair shop. This space was annotated on a plan linked to the urbanization of Lausanne. Since then, the theater has taken on a personality of its own, one that honors creativity and freedom of expression, a theater open to various genres: musical, concert, reading, improv... The joy of getting up on stage, performing, telling your story... Two rooms are dedicated to the creations of young professional companies and to a more musical and eclectic program (comedy, cabaret, dance).

La Comédie de la Gare is a partner of the Uptown Geneva - Business & Arts Center, with 3 concert halls: Rive (160 seats), Broadway (460 seats) and Concorde (a modular hall ideal for presentations and receptions). There's also a lounge bar and a richly diverse program of concerts, events and comedy shows. A partnership that's sure to appeal to Genevans! An idea for going out to see comedies. Some of them are very well written.

At Les Eaux Vives, La Comédie du ^XXIe siècle is housed in this modern building with its large bay windows, almost too much concrete, which seems to have come straight out of the future. Wide concrete staircases lead up and down to the auditoriums. It's a newborn, recently built in the heart of the new Eaux Vives station. This "factory of the imaginary" offers a rich program of shows and music from around the world, as well as dance, cinema, theater and new circus. Workshops for young people.

It's a great brand new theater, all cubic shapes. You can even sponsor a brick. It's worth it, it's a pleasure to go there. The programming is excellent, with classic plays such as La Règle du jeu, by Jean Renoir, or En attendant Godot, which probably won't be coming, but the pleasure is there. The program is very diversified: classic plays, rearranged or not, modern or young audience.

If you're in Geneva in March, make sure you don't miss the famous "Catch Impro" show. It's excellent, but there's no telling what it is, and it's unique, absolutely unique, a must-see. This casino-théâtre is one of Geneva's leading cultural venues. It offers a varied program throughout the season: boulevard theater, operettas, concerts, improvisation matches, humorists, a beautiful scarlet room, a real theater, with a rich program of excellent shows, in a superb, lively atmosphere.

also a must. Now renamed the "Centre de Production et de Diffusion des Arts Vivants", the Théâtre produces, performs and broadcasts shows, with all the hard work that implies... It has a richly varied program, with contemporary authors rubbing shoulders with the classics, drama spawning alongside comedy, and a wide range of disciplines (theater, music, video, etc.). In short, as this multi-functional theater is a place of life and creativity, it also hosts films and shows, wild evenings and round-table discussions...

La Traverse, which is the performance hall of the Maison de quartier des Pâquis, offers a varied programme including dance, comedy, contemporary music, theatre, children's shows as well as professional or amateur theatrical improvisation matches.

A place for art and culture enthusiasts and above all theatre lovers. It is a melting pot of ideas, creations, exchanges, an intergenerational and tolerant place where one discovers performances like nowhere else.The Saint-Gervais theatre is an alternative place that welcomes marginal groups for contemporary creations, often in connection with political and social current events. Creation is omnipresent and the theatre encourages the emergence of new artistic talents and confirms those in the making. Programme on the website.

The Schauspielhaus, Theater Basel's second building, offers a unique tridisciplinary experience. With 560 seats, the Schauspielhaus is a showcase for the greatest works of opera, drama and ballet. Voted Theatre of the Year in 1999, it embodies excellence and innovation. From September to June, the curtain rises for almost 600 performances and over 40 resolutely modern productions, attracting the most demanding theatre-goers and German speakers.