George Bernard Shaw once stated that sleeping is also a form of critiscm, especially at the theatre. The Irish dramatist was known for his pointed remarks about a century ago. Yet today, his saying falls flat—quite literally. Because the most striking form of criticism is no longer dozing off in the theatre, but simply not showing up. This is exactly what is happening at the Schauspielhaus Zurich, where the auditorium has steadily emptied over time.
Thirty years ago, the Schauspielhaus Zurich welcomed about 182,000 visitors. In the 2023/2024 season, that number had fallen to just under 95,000—almost a 50% drop in attendance. Utilization has also plunged: last season, it was only 53 percent, meaning nearly every other seat stood empty. What explains this trend? One thing is clear: it’s not for lack of subsidy.
Too Many Productions for Too Few Audience Members
Public funding for the Schauspielhaus Zurich has nearly doubled over the past 30 years, rising from just over CHF 21 million to around CHF 40 million. The ratio of box office receipts to subsidies is now 1 to 12—meaning that for every franc earned in ticket sales, twelve francs of public money support its operations. Of course, the Schauspielhaus is just one cultural institution among many. Yet across Switzerland, the trend is heading in the same direction.
Since the 1990s, public expenditure on culture—adjusted for inflation—has risen by almost 60 percent. Today, municipalities, cantons, and the federal government spend around CHF 2.6 billion annually on cultural policy—nearly half of what is spent on national defense. Culture in Switzerland is by no means underfunded. Rather, the substantial expansion of subsidies has likely led to an oversupply.
For example, the number of people employed in “cultural professions within the cultural sector” increased by over 40 percent between 2010 and 2019, reaching about 87,000 individuals—nearly four times the growth rate of the overall economy. Demand, however, has not kept pace with this corresponding increase in supply. Already three years ago, Philippe Bischof, director of Pro Helvetia, stated: “Today, in areas such as theatre, music, or visual arts, there are too many productions for too small an audience.”
This problem is exacerbated by digitalization and globalization. Today, music, films, but also visual arts reach their audiences worldwide, with the most successful receiving a disproportionately large share of attention. Institutions like the Schauspielhaus, by contrast, remain essentially local: they perform for a physically present audience and are thus limited in their reach.
Funding Multifunctional Infrastructure and Distributing Vouchers
Against this backdrop, cultural policy goals need to be redefined. No public funding is needed for global stars as they can finance themselves. However, if policy aims to provide a local cultural offer, funding must be reconsidered. Otherwise, these funds will continue to be wasted in empty theaters. Two points should be considered in such a reform.
First, the primary focus should be on funding infrastructure directly — that is, multifunctional venues that can be used for various art forms and serve as regional cultural hubs. Access to these infrastructures should be uncomplicated and non-political. This not only creates the necessary distance from politics but also opens new opportunities for lesser-known artists, ensuring diversity and creativity at the local level.
Secondly, the offers that build upon these infrastructures should be supported indirectly. One could consider a model in which subsidies are distributed directly to citizens in the form of cultural vouchers. As is currently the case, this would require a selection of accepted, and thereby indirectly funded, offers. However, the vouchers would raise awareness of the cultural offer among the population, and their use would become a new part of the funding scheme.
Such a cultural policy would have the potential to give a wide audience access to cultural offers. This is especially crucial if culture (and cultural funding) is to have a greater social impact in the future. It is not enough to subsidize selected offers with millions of francs if hardly anyone notices them. There is clearly a need for action today. A reform of cultural policy is necessary,before the audience’s critical snoring is replaced by complete silence.
This article was originally published in German in the NZZ am Sonntag on May 18, 2025.
