The route to an accessible, cooperative and sustainable Zürcher Theater Spektakel
The Zürcher Theater Spektakel is a place for encounters with international art. Since 1980, it has been inviting artists with diverse experiences, backgrounds and perspectives to Zurich. One of its founding intentions was to make art accessible to everyone - in contrast to the city’s cultural institutions, often perceived as elitist at the time. A lot has happened since. The Theater Spektakel as well as Switzerland have changed significantly, as have the demographics of the City of Zurich. Being an accessible, international festival for Zurich in step with the times – regarding artistic contents as well as the prevailing social and political realities – requires continuous development.
Affiliation – creating a space for everyone
We see the Zürcher Theater Spektakel as a social space, which we, as hosts, want to shape in cooperative, inclusive, sustainable and ways.
Our goal is to reflect our social diversity at all levels of the festival – programme, staff, audience – and to create additional opportunities for participation, reflection and exchange. Artists, visitors and staff members should feel welcome at the festival, regardless of gender, nationality, ethnic and social origin, religion, disability, age or sexual orientation or identity. Hatred, baiting, racism and discrimination of any kind have no place at the Theater Spektakel. It has been our endeavour for years to make the festival an inclusive and discrimination-sensitive place. As a nextlogical step on this path, we have implemented an awareness concept. We consider ourselves lucky because the audience of the Zürcher Theater Spektakel has always been very open- minded towards different artistic signatures and new formats. We will continue to cherish this relationship and add to Zurich’s diversity with our programme.
Accessibility – breaking down barriers
In order to be a «festival for everyone» it is important to break down barriers and obstacles of all kinds step by step.
We wish to create an offer for people who have less financial resources, a different cultural or social background or different capacities than the «classic» festival goer. For people with disabilities, the Theater Spektakel offers a variety of access aids. Additionally, we have continuously expanded our offer of workshops, our discourse programme and mediation events in the past years. Through concessions as well as free suspended tickets, wewant to make sure that no one is excluded from visiting the festival due to their financial situation. It is our goal to be a workplace for an increasing number of people from diverse backgrounds and with different abilities.
Partnerships – creating networks for artists
The creation of the Zürcher Theater Spektakel as an international meeting of the independent dance and theatre scene continues to characterise the festival’s image and its cultural and political mission within the City of Zurich.
The Theater Spektakel shall also be a platform for young and emerging artists, especially artists from the Global South. Within a network ofinternational festivals, we assume our role as supportive partner for artists and their work – as co-producer, through encounter programmes for young artists or through the patronage and acknowledgment prizes awarded annually. As a subsidised cultural institution in Europe, it is fundamentally important to consciously make use of our opportunities to create visibility for artists and themes. Additionally, the festival shall make a contribution to the development of the performing arts by facilitating projects that interface with other art forms.
Sustainability – reducing emissions, raising awareness
We aim for a sustainable impact not only in the artistic programme but also in the festival operations, working towards meeting the climategoal of the City of Zurich in the near future.
For over 15 years, we have been implementing measures in energy and waste management. In 2024, we conducted a climate audit of the entire festival operation to identify further areas for action. Unsurprisingly, mobility and food emerged as key factors – as they are for many other cultural institutions. We are now developing both short- and longterm measures in the areas of mobility, infrastructure, and gastronomy. At the same time, we seek to raise awareness of global justice by addressing issues such as extractivism and ecosystem destruction – recurring themes at the festival explored across a range of formats.
We thank all the collaborators and experts who critically accompany and support us in these matters!
The Festival Direction, June 2025
Encounter in Zurich. Since 1980
The Zürcher Theater Spektakel is a place of encounter with international art. Since 1980, it has brought artists with diverse experiences, backgrounds and perspectives to Zurich. This openness to the world is one of the festival’s key contributions – both to the city and to Switzerland.