Sale of naming rights: theater sticks to the idea

The Gerhart-Hauptmann-Theater Görlitz-Zittau put its naming rights up for sale at the beginning of the current season, causing a nationwide stir. In view of the permanent shortage of money in public coffers, artistic director Daniel Morgenroth has not yet declared the campaign over, even though no one has come forward with the prospect of a sufficiently large sum.

Two offers have been received. "However, these were far from what we had in mind," said Morgenroth. "It was supposed to be a six-figure sum."

Money was certainly available. "It just seems to be wrongly distributed," Morgenroth believes. The wealth of the richest people has multiplied in recent decades. Large internet and investment companies are making record profits. "We have now made the economic logic very clear," says the artistic director. After all, cultural institutions are constantly confronted with the demand to raise more third-party funding.

In Morgenroth's opinion, the question arises as to whether things are too sacred to sell - such as the name of a theater named after Nobel Prize winner Gerhart Hauptmann. The idea of having the name of an international corporation such as Coca-Cola or Apple emblazoned on the building certainly provoked negative and even horrified reactions. If a local or regional company were to get involved, the idea would probably find much more understanding, Morgenroth suspects.

Financing is a huge problem

The Görlitz artistic director described the financing of municipal theaters and orchestras as a "huge problem" that has not been solved throughout Germany. Morgenroth believes that the federal government has a duty to compensate for the enormous costs of local structures worth living in general. The budget of the district of Görlitz, for example, which holds shares in the Gerhart-Hauptmann-Theater through its holding company, has a double-digit million deficit.

The current season in Görlitz and Zittau has been deliberately placed under the motto "Capital". "We are dealing with this topic in a very artistic way," says the artistic director. Questions about money, poverty, distributive justice and prosperity are also discussed in a series of discussions. The next of three further events in the new year has been announced for the end of January.

The East Saxon theater wanted to sell its naming rights exclusively and initially for one season. Perhaps the search for a major sponsor would be more successful if the theater was located in Berlin or Munich, Morgenroth admits.