Dresden (dpa/sn) - Saxony's state theaters will receive further corona aid from the Free State of 2.4 million euros. Minister of Culture Barbara Klepsch (CDU) said on Tuesday in Dresden that the cabinet had agreed to this in order to compensate for the renewed high losses of state opera and drama. The gap in coverage could not be compensated for with short-time work benefits, as in 2021, because the game was closed by mid-January and the capacity was reduced by July. "And the audience hasn't come back as expected, the ticket prices are significantly lower." The state theaters have a total budget of 130 million euros.
According to Klepsch, there is a lack of national and international tourists, especially from the important markets of Russia and China. International guests are still a long way from reaching 50 percent of the pre-pandemic level.
According to Klepsch, an additional 42 million euros flowed this year from funding programs for cultural institutions in the state. With "tailor-made help" in the acute phase, it was possible to maintain cultural offerings and infrastructure. For example, over 16.6 million euros were available to secure livelihoods for hardship cases, which are expected to be around 12 million euros and not fully skimmed off. More than 400 institutions were supported in their work with a further 16.7 million euros.
A total of five million euros from the Corona Fund went to 73 cities and municipalities, with projects in the district of Görlitz, in Mittelsachsen and the Erzgebirge district in particular being funded - with sums between 10,000 euros and 600,000 euros. 1.3 million euros from the small projects fund went to 370 projects in rural areas.
"The challenges are still great," said Klepsch, referring to the war in Ukraine and the energy crisis, which are "again hitting cultural institutions particularly hard." As a rule, they have no financial cushion, local authorities are at the limit of what they can afford and a price increase can hardly be enforced. Negotiations with the federal government for help were ongoing so as not to endanger the “tender recovery” after the Corona crisis.
