State Secretary for Culture invited to the round table
The kick-off was on Tuesday with a video conference with representatives of the theater, opera and concert scene. Around 20 representatives were invited, including the Bregenz Festival, State Opera, Burgtheater, Vereinigte Bühnen Wien, Musikverein and Konzerthaus, as well as representatives of small independent stages. The aim was to finally give the creative artists perspectives for their rehearsals and an opening in autumn. Opinions differed as to whether the meeting had brought the necessary clarity.
App vs data protection
Herbert Föttinger, director of the Theater in der Josefstadt, renewed his request to use contact tracing: “We know who is sitting in which seat, we also ask the audience not to exchange the cards, and in the event of an infection we could change the chain of infection interrupt it immediately, “said Föttinger on ORF radio. Thomas Birkmeir, artistic director at the Vienna Theater der Jugend, has concerns: “There is a data protection problem in itself. I can’t simply get the data from everyone arbitrarily, I would have to ask for it, of course, and then the legal basis is still a question.”
Birkmeir believes that normal operation at full capacity will only be possible again if there is a vaccine and gives a drastic example:
Imagine you have rows full and someone has a coughing spasm in the middle. You’ve probably never seen people run out of a theater room that fast.
“We all have very different needs,” said Volkstheater director Anna Badora, summarizing the video conference. Badora expects that after the virtual meeting, which also included the Bregenz Festival, State Opera, Burgtheater, Vereinigte Bühnen Wien, Musikverein and Konzerthaus, there will be a new directive from Lunacek. “I suspect that this will be a mixture of announcements and personal responsibility of the individual houses,” said the outgoing director of the Volkstheater.
Lunacek for “lean prescription”
For the State Secretary herself, the interview “brought a clear overview of the challenges for the rehearsal and game operation”, but also showed “that there are different points of view regarding health policy requirements, artistic feasibility and economic viability”, told APA on Wednesday . “What I am working on with the Ministry of Health is with protective provisions that ensure that the infection rate remains low or can still be reduced. The suggestions received are collected by us and sent to the Ministry of Health. There was agreement that personal responsibility is an important factor is. “
The working discussion with representatives of the cabaret scene, which took place on Monday, called Lunacek a “constructive and appreciative exchange”, which had also made clear the long-term loss of revenue and revenue in this segment of the cultural scene. “I am working with the section on measures to support those affected on their way back to regular event management.” She took concrete suggestions “such as increased support for young people and women as well as incentive models for more cabaret at the local level” from the conversation.
Round table of the film industry
A similar event followed on Wednesday with the Austrian filmmakers. Representatives of the domestic film industry gave “input on insurance issues and the design of legal protection measures for filming, cinema and festival operations”. “This is now being examined in order to be included in subsequent discussions with the Ministry of Health and the Economy,” said the APA afterwards.
“It is in all of our interests that work in film operations can be resumed quickly and safely,” said Lunacek. Take the existential needs of those working in this area very seriously. After this conversation with producers, cinema operators, distributors and festival directors, another appointment with representatives of director associations is to take place next week.
The art and culture secretary wants to “stand up for the fact that there are additional support measures for the activities of the filmmakers and the entrepreneurial activity of the Austrian film industry”. According to the State Secretariat, around 8,000 art and cultural workers have so far received emergency aid from the Emergency Aid Pots (Hardship Cases Fund and Covid 19 Funds of the Artists’ Social Insurance). About 45 million euros were paid for advance payments of grants via the art and culture section, it said.
Vienna’s City Councilor for Culture Veronika Kaup Hasler also invited to a round table next Tuesday.
Text: APA / Red.
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