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Financial crisis! Central Saxon theater is fighting for survival
In 2025, the Central Saxony Theater will fight against financial bottlenecks and demand support for a secure future.
Financial crisis! Central Saxon theater is fighting for survival
The Central Saxon Theater is facing a financial cliff. The theater is currently missing 700,000 euros annually from its 2025/26 budget, which seriously endangers the future of the theater. Managing director Hans Peter Ickrath is optimistic despite the tense situation. A month ago, the theater, together with other Saxon theaters in Dresden, mobilized for better financing and was able to involve around 300 theater people and visitors in the matter. They are urgently demanding higher subsidies from the Free State of Saxony, because the future of many stages, like this, is in jeopardy Free press reported.
What is particularly alarming is the fact that the Free State of Saxony is cutting subsidies for theaters in Döbeln and Freiberg. This is a hard blow, not only for the theater employees, but also for the entire region, which relies on cultural offerings. In an open letter, the theater's shareholders protest against these cuts and appeal to Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer and Culture Minister Barbara Klepsch to take the unfortunate situation seriously. In the last budget planning, funding for the theater had already been significantly reduced, which points to structural underfunding, which is particularly devastating for rural areas, they said Saxon.
Rescue attempts and challenges
A rescue package launched by the district of Central Saxony and the cities of Döbeln and Freiberg secured theater operations until at least 2025. This package, a shareholder agreement from 2022, had become urgently needed to ensure the theater's survival in persistently difficult economic conditions. Despite these measures, financial support from the Free State and the cultural area remains crucial for the continued existence of the institution. The theater's economic plan envisages a deficit of around 700,000 euros, which is why cutting funding by around 50 percent compared to the money originally promised for 2023 would have catastrophic consequences.
Although Saxony's Culture Minister Barbara Klepsch recently reached an agreement with community theaters and orchestras to provide additional funding needs for 2023 and 2024 totaling 4.6 million euros, support for 2025 and 2026 remains uncertain. Past experience shows that despite increased subsidies, existential challenges will continue to exist in the future. The underfunded theaters and orchestras, including the Mittelsächsisches Theater, urgently need a return to stable financial conditions, like that Media service Saxony reported.
The situation is clear: without adequate financial support, the cultural wealth and diversity in Saxony threaten to fall by the wayside. The efforts of theater makers and local representatives must therefore be taken seriously by politicians. A strong cultural offering is essential not only for artists but also for the community.