Struggling to cut costs: City of Zwickau gives theater a free hand

In the struggle to make savings at the Plauen-Zwickau Theater, the city is refraining from setting concrete targets for the time being. On Thursday evening, the city council was supposed to approve a savings program that included job cuts, fewer new productions and the conclusion of an in-house collective agreement for employees in order to close the financial gap. Instead, the committee voted almost unanimously in favor of an amendment proposed by the CDU parliamentary group, as the city informed upon request.

"The city council is committed to maintaining Theater Plauen-Zwickau gGmbH as a multi-genre theater," the resolution states. Instead of setting targets for savings, the theater is now expected to make do with the agreed funds. The city council is to be informed about the status of developments by May 2026.

City warns: theater's existence at risk

The theater receives ten million euros a year from the cities of Zwickau and Plauen, plus money this year and next year as part of an emergency aid program from the state. According to the city, the theater is still 1.6 million euros short this year and a deficit of 0.7 million euros is expected in 2026. The theater's reserves are therefore not sufficient to make up for the shortfall. Without effective countermeasures, the existence of the theater is at risk, according to the city administration.