To give a solid performance venue to the Swiss cabaret, Theater am Hechtplatz was founded on the initiative of Dionysius Gurny, secretary of Emil Landolt, then the mayor of the city of Zürich.

The city loaned the theater to Otto Weissert, director of the Cabaret Fédéral, under the preserve that it had to serve temporarily as a second stage of Schauspielhaus Zürich.

[1] Headed by Gurny, Felix Rogner, Rudolf Sauser, Nicolas Baerlocher and Dominik Flaschka, the theater became one of the main stages for cabaret in Switzerland.

The theater is located at the small Hechtplatz square on the upper Limmatquai, opposite of the Bauschänzli respectively Frauenbad Stadthausquai, near the present Bellevueplatz in Zürich.

[6] As well as the Bernhard-Theater in 1961/63, it also houses the Zürcher Märchenbühne which annually produces a fairy tale for children during the winter months, starring among others Vincenzo Biagi, Paul Bühlmann, Inigo Gallo, Walter Andreas Müller, Bella Neri, Margrit Rainer, Jörg Schneider, Peter W. Staub, Schaggi Streuli, Ines Torelli, Erich Vock and Ruedi Walter.