Schauspielhaus Zürich
Historic stage where a wine merchant defied the Nazis by hiring blacklisted actors and premiering banned plays.
Location
About this audio guide
This guide to Schauspielhaus Zürich turns on the nineteen-thirties, when wine merchant Ferdinand Rieser bought a failing stage and gambled on hiring the actors and playwrights Nazi Germany had banned. It follows the danger that gamble brought, including a German ambassador's denunciation and Swiss fascist rallies outside these doors, and the city's own scramble to keep the curtain up after Rieser fled in nineteen thirty-eight. Listen for the chanting and police whistles said to have filled this street on opening night.
This audio guide was created using AI.
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