Overview

• Berlin’s 2025 culture budget must slash €130 million, nearly 12% of planned spending, with similar cuts possible in 2026 and 2027.
• The Volksbühne is the only state-owned Berlin theater maintaining its own workshops, employing 47 staff in Pankow to create elaborate sets and costumes.
• Cultural Senator Sarah Wedl-Wilson toured the Volksbühne workshops in March and affirmed their central role in the theater’s artistic identity.
• City officials and cultural leaders are exploring shared logistics and administrative services as alternatives to outright workshop closures.
• The decision on where to find the required €2 million in savings rests with the Volksbühne’s director, who is evaluating partnerships with Bühnenservice Berlin.