On the theatre stage, laughter and crying have been close together since Aristotle. This is especially true for plays that shed light on terrible fates, such as unemployment. One of the most tragic and funny plays is "McKinsey is coming" by the writer Rolf Hochhuth. In it, he discusses mass layoffs. The eponymous management consultancy does not appear at all in the play, the mere announcement "McKinsey is coming" serves as a synonym for relegation. In Urs Widmer's "Top Dogs", dismissed managers have to reorient themselves professionally, and in Moritz Rinke's "Café Umberto", two creative people fall in love in the coffee shop of an employment agency.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, the precarious conditions, which many dramas address in a socially critical way, have affected many employees who work in the theatre themselves: artists, lighting masters, stage technicians. According to the Competence Centre for Creative Industries, the slump in sales in 2020 was the biggest setback since monitoring began in the cultural and creative industries in 2009. In total, the losses amounted to 15.3 billion euros. Among the submarkets particularly affected were the performing arts with a minus of around 80 percent, the music industry with a minus of 44 percent, the film industry, which made 41 percent less sales, and the art market with 39 percent losses. In 2021, the industry also made losses – a total of eleven billion euros.
Recently, a positive trend can be seen again. "We did a survey among the members. Occupancy has risen from 67 percent in September 2022 to 72 percent in November 2022. In the meantime, the stages are back at an average of 80 percent," says Claudia Schmitz, Managing Director of the German Stage Association. The starting fee was raised in November 2022, initially from 2000 to 2550 euros and at the beginning of 2023 to 2715 euros. However, most contracts are limited in time, despite negotiations with the unions.
No uniform regulation
"Creative processes are temporary appointments," says Schmitz. She explains why jobs in culture are attractive despite comparatively low pay with the high degree of creative freedom and variety. "Every production is a prototype, I can get involved in the process. These are great moments of happiness to see what you have achieved together at premieres." But does that also pay the rents? Is the cliché of the unemployed actor who has to work as a waiter for a living true? What kind of training to rely on? And do stages with technical staff have the same problems with a lack of skilled workers as other companies?
The labor law side is complex. Who gets which contracts in the field of acting or art is not uniformly regulated. Sound engineers, make-up artists or management personnel who are predominantly artistically active work according to the so-called standard contract stage. The administrative staff is currently fighting with Verdi for the increase in salaries and is paid according to the collective agreements in the public sector, either according to the municipal salary scales at municipal theaters or according to those of the states.
A distinction must be made between the divisions. "There is an employer market for soloists. The supply of job seekers is much greater than the demand and thus pushes down the salaries of the majority – while a few stars can demand horrendous amounts," says Jörg Löwer, spokesman for the Association of German Opera and Dance Ensembles. In the choir, on the other hand, there are good prospects.