In the 35th podcast of the Free Voters and FOR Karlsruhe parliamentary city council group Petra Lorenz meets the head of the renowned Karlsruhe Chamber Theater Bernd Gnann. He became known for his diverse activities as an entrepreneur in gastronomy, art and culture:
“I came to Karlsruhe 14 years ago to take over the Kammertheater. It then developed in such a way that many companies approached me and asked how I had managed to triple the audience figures and increase the revenues tenfold. After that, one thing and another came up and that’s how I got involved with other companies,” says Gnann. He is committed to increasing the number of people who come to the city to enjoy the culture. He stresses the importance of audiences seeing quality productions and actors being properly compensated. He also talks about the close connection between gastronomy and culture and how both areas can contribute to the success of a city.
Despite his success and the positive impact his company has had on the local economy, Gnann does not feel sufficiently valued by the city’s cultural representatives:
“I want to inspire people. I want to make people laugh and cry. Nevertheless, I am always surprised that culture is not seen by the representatives of the city. They’ve never been to my theater, but they make decisions about the Chamber Theater.”
In the future, there will be cuts in city subsidies, which will especially affect culture. The budget is “on edge” for the next few years and does not allow for high spending. The Chamber Theater, which has done very well in recent years, is to have its subsidies cut in particular: “We are being punished here for our success. If they cut 75,000 euros from the 200,000 euro subsidy, then I will end up missing 5 to 6% of the total turnover. For every entrepreneur that would be a break in the neck,” says Bern Gnann and continues: “We don’t get any attention from the decision-makers and are ignored. We will now come out of the post-Corona period with a minus of 270,000 euros.”
Criticizing the decision-makers in the city administration as well as the background of entrepreneurship in Karlsruhe offers a fascinating insight into the state of culture in Karlsruhe and shows the manifold effects on the local economy. Learn more about the current developments and Bernd Gnann’s visions for the future of culture in Karlsruhe!
