Miscellaneous 70 theater professionals celebrate 50 years of the Swiss Artists' Exchange
The 50th edition of the Swiss Artists' Fair gets underway. Over four days in Thun, a total of 70 formations and artists will showcase what the performing arts have to offer. The Artists' Exchange is both a public event and a trade fair.
15.04.2026, 06:31
SDA
A gala "celebrating the entire diversity of the performing arts" - as the organizers put it - will kick off this year's anniversary edition of the Swiss Artists' Fair on Wednesday evening.
Even this opening evening is intended to bring the different forms of expression to the stage. Phanee de Pool from western Switzerland combines pop, chanson, spoken word and humor. Eugénie Rebetez combines dance, singing and humor. Or Matthias Romir, expressive juggler and depressive clown, explores the boundaries between juggling, clowning and object theater.
The evening will be led by the duo Ohne Rolf from Lucerne, who have become famous for their wordplay and have been making a name for themselves on cabaret stages for two decades. In addition, historian and cabaret artist Benedikt Meyer will guide the audience through 50 years of the Swiss Artists' Exchange with his own stage program. Political celebrities will be represented by the President of the Council of States, Stefan Engler, among others.
Showcase for current projects
Other highlights promised by the organizers include vertical dance artist Rebekka Gather and well-known names such as Lara Stoll, Cenk, Jane Mumford and Famiglia Dimitri, who will be presenting excerpts from their current productions in short performances. In addition, the Artists' Exchange is the setting for this year's semi-finals of the Swiss Poetry Slam Championships.
In addition to these events for the general public, the Artists' Exchange, as the name suggests, brings together artists from Switzerland and abroad with agencies and theater organizers. Networking events such as workshops and podiums are also on the program.
The 50th Swiss Artists' Exchange will take place from April 15 to 18 in Thun in the canton of Bern. The event for the performing arts is organized by the professional association t. Theaterschaffen Schweiz. Last year, around 1200 people visited the Artists' Fair every day.
