Theater, Work, Transformation

Since there is an urgent need for data on the situation at Berlin’s theaters in order to address structural inequalities, FAIRSTAGE surveyed Berlin’s publicly funded theaters about their staffing and organizational structures. Eleven theaters responded.

A few findings from the (self-)assessments:

• Gender pay gap: 6 theaters do not track it, 2 do (at the Deutsches Theater, it stands at 27.27 percent), and 4 (according to their own reports) have none; collective bargaining agreements only help prevent gender pay gaps if women also hold leadership positions.
• Salary Range: 7 institutions have disclosed their employees’ salary ranges, though salaries of leadership personel were excluded in most cases.
• Funding for diversity initiatives: 5 institutions have specifically stated how much money they spend on diversity initiatives. The range here is between €2,730 and €100,000, with the two institutions with the highest amounts having received funding through the pilot project "Diversitätsinitiative" .

In addition, FAIRSTAGE presents in this publication the results of a survey on the impact of austerity measures on the theater scene (as of May/June 2025).

Some key points:

• Of the 11 theaters FAIRSTAGE spoke with, 4 are fully bound by collective bargaining agreements (both TV-L and NV Bühne). As early as 2024, 4 institutions were already paying below the wage standards set by collective bargaining agreements, in some cases up to 30 percent below. In several cases, fair minimum fees are only feasible through third-party funding.
• The budget cuts particularly affect people working in temporary or freelance positions. Internal restructuring resulting from the non-replacement of positions leads to an increased workload and reduced benefits for the remaining staff.
• Some venues, such as the Schaubude Berlin, the Berliner Ensemble, and two anonymous theaters, report that internal workshops are being scaled back or even eliminated entirely, which slows down and in some cases halts diversity-oriented organizational development.
• Some project positions dedicated to community work and/or organizational development are being phased out.
• 8 out of 11 theaters reported cutbacks in outreach, queer, or inclusion projects—often because project partners no longer received funding.
• Ticket prices have been or are being raised. Social discounts are under pressure and, according to some theaters—such as the Schaubude Berlin or the GRIPS Theater—are in some cases only possible through special grants.

The FAIRSTAGE pilot project is a joint initiative of Diversity Arts Culture, ensemble-netzwerk, and LAFT Berlin.