One of Germany’s most popular theaters said Thursday it could face bankruptcy because of expected funding cuts from Berlin’s city government.
The Schaubuehne theater told AFP that the cuts set in the city’s latest budget plans “will lead to a deficit by the end of 2025”.
Berlin’s cultural scene has been up in arms over proposed cuts to support for the arts from next year in the city district, where venues are already struggling with rapidly rising rents.
The city government has proposed a cut in arts funding amounting to 130 million euros, about 12 percent of the total cultural budget.
Established in 1962 in what used to be West Berlin, Schaubuehne has long made a name for itself with its progressive programming.
Since 1999 it has been led by the renowned director Thomas Ostermeier, who has received several international honors for his work.
In a statement sent to AFP, Schaubuehne said the only option for bankruptcy is “a major restructuring and demolition program that would mean losing what the theater stands for.”
It added that it is already closing a test studio as a first step in response to funding cuts.
It asked city councilors to “consider the real situation of the Schaubuehne and other theaters facing similar problems” when making a final decision on funding.
Berlin’s culture minister Joe Chialo told local media earlier this week that he was still in talks to see if it was possible to reduce the cuts.
Other proposed savings in Berlin’s city budget have also sparked controversy, including the abolition of the popular 29-euro public transport ticket.
Ticket launched just this summer and already has 200,000 users.
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