Powerful, tragic, and with bitter humor—Chilean director Manuela Infante stages a finely composed play with five women in which voices spread, change, and merge with each other in endless variations. A collective of fluid identities that spreads like wildfire. Manuela Infante unfolds a thought experiment about radical forms of self-defense and the spread of violence when it is made visible. What freedom arises when one escapes the normative assignments of identity?

What We Lost in the Fire

Theater Basel

For Adelina, born in Zurich, the daughter of Italian immigrants, there is no place in Switzerland. Inherited debts force her to abandon her apprenticeship. Single and with her young daughter Emma, she searches for a way out of the downward spiral. But the circumstances, a misogynistic and xenophobic society, prevent her from doing so. She finds herself in one awkward situation after another until a man who lovingly cares for her daughter takes her to Italy. However, Emma disappears without a trace, leading to a fateful encounter with the Red Brigades - and a realization.

Die Krume Brot

«Twenty captains of industry are flying overhead, while millions are starving below». Kasimir, who lost his job as a chauffeur that morning, watches the Zeppelin fly by with a frown, while Karoline wants to enjoy herself at the Oktoberfest. In 117 scenes, Horváth describes how the couple's love is shattered by social conditions. In Karin Henkel's production, Kasimir and Karoline meet another tragic figure from Horváth's universe: Elisabeth from ‹Glaube Liebe Hoffnung› has given up on life before it could even begin. Her story is based on a real court case that Horváth wrote about together with court reporter Lukas Kristl.

Kasimir and Karoline and the Dance with Death

In ancient times, sirens were often bird- or fish-like creatures with female upper bodies. With their song, they lured not only sailors to their doom. They also sang stories and told the world. «We know everything», they sang. They were complex, monstrous hybrid creatures between human and nature and possessed dangerous, mysterious powers. Today, sirens are primarily loud signals from police and fire trucks or disaster warnings.

Sirenen

When Hamlet returns home, nothing is as it was before. His father is dead, his mother Gertrude has remarried his uncle Claudius, who now rules Denmark. For young Hamlet, the world has been turned upside down. Then his father's ghost appears and complains that Claudius poisoned him. Can that be true? Who can he still trust – the living, the dead, himself? With the help of a troupe of actors, Hamlet sets out to uncover the truth. But the play within the play becomes a trap: Hamlet is caught in an endless loop of his own story. Scenes repeat themselves, shifting perspectives and revealing new truths. It becomes almost impossible to distinguish between appearance and reality. Following the great success of ‹Ein Sommernachtstraum›, the Basel-based company once again turns its attention to a Shakespeare masterpiece. Who is acting and who is not? And if everyone is acting, who can still be truthful?

Gala Othero Winter

Events

Upcoming events

Apr 30, 2026

Die Krume Brot · Theater Basel

May 3 - Jun 15, 2026

Kasimir and Karoline and the Dance with Death · Theater Basel

May 16 - Jun 10, 2026

Sirenen · Theater Basel

May 25, 2026

Hamlet · Theater Basel

Past events

Sep 14 - Dec 14, 2025

What We Lost in the Fire · Theater Basel

Future and recently performed repertoire

Hamlet in Hamlet by Shakespeare

Theater Basel

About

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