Schlosstheater Schwetzingen, Palace theatre in Schwetzingen, Germany

Schlosstheater Schwetzingen is a court theatre attached to the north circular building of Schwetzingen Palace, with its main axis facing northwest. Nicolas de Pigage built it in ten weeks in 1752; it opened on 15 June 1753. The auditorium of about 190 m² holds 512 seats and keeps much of its original 1770s classical fittings; a working model of the Baroque stage machinery stands on the second tier.

Nicolas de Pigage designed this theatre in 1752 with Rococo elements and then transformed it toward Neoclassical style after 1770. This shift marked a transition in architectural taste that reshaped the building's interior appearance.

The theatre's name is debated: the common "Rokokotheater" was to be changed to "Pigage-Theater" in 2023, but the plan was withdrawn after protests. Since 1952 it has hosted the Schwetzingen Festival, which has commissioned over 35 operas, including works by Henze and Sciarrino. A Mozartfest has used the theatre annually since 1969.

The auditorium seats 512 people and occupies about 190 m², roughly a third of the whole theatre building. Entry to the boxes and the parterre is through the northern circular wing of the palace, whose section now serves as foyer and cloakroom. Since 2005 a working model of the Baroque stage machinery, showing the stage house and understage, has stood in the second tier.

The theatre keeps over 50 surviving stage-set designs by Stefan Schenk and Lorenzo and Joseph Quaglio. Since 2005 a working model of the Baroque stage machinery, showing the understage, is displayed on the second tier.