(Credit: © Kirsten Bucher)

The Intendant of Oper Frankfurt, Bernd Loebe, has warned that there could be major consequences in the event that cultural institutions are forced to close due to the worsening COVID-19 crisis in Germany.

“Closing the theaters would have devastating consequences,” said Loebe following the statement by the Prime Minister of the State of Hessen Volker Bouffier. Bouffier said that closure of leisure facilities could be possible due to ongoing a new wave of COVID-19 in Germany. Such tightening by the federal government is also conceivable, added Bouffier.

“When we last closed, we lost 6,000 of our subscribers, and that proportion would continue to grow,” added Loebe in a letter to Bouffier. “With this, the opera loses an absolutely necessary livelihood, namely a solid customer base, which ultimately forms the financing basis. There is a possibility that world of opera will never really recover from this.”

The German Stage Association previously called for a consistent approach during the COVID-19 pandemic and a clear commitment to culture from the federal, state and local authorities in Germany.