Context
The city of Ansbach has commissioned actori with the strategic realignment of the over 100-year-old Theater Ansbach, which is operated under the special legal form of a cooperative. Since February 2024, the large hall with around 400 seats had been closed due to fire safety deficiencies and structural deficits, which severely restricted the ensemble's operations. Despite broad consensus on the cultural significance of the theater, key questions about its future direction, governance, and financing remained unresolved. In view of the additional financial burdens caused by the necessary structural renovation, the discussion about municipal subsidies and the future of the theater intensified. The organizational realignment was the goal of the process, as was the implementation of the structural measures.
Approach
actori developed a two-stage approach that combined analytical depth with participatory elements. First, actori conducted a comprehensive status quo analysis, systematically evaluating finances, visitor structures, and programs over the past five years. Targeted benchmarking with five comparable institutions assessed the efficiency and positioning of the Ansbach Theater and provided important impetus for optimization approaches.
At the same time, actori involved all relevant stakeholders through 25 structured interviews, including discussions with the city administration, all political parties, the theater and the cooperative itself, as well as other cultural actors in the region. This participatory approach ensured that all relevant perspectives were taken into account and secured early acceptance of the change process. Based on these findings, actori developed three well-founded scenarios for the future: ensemble theater with in-house productions, ensemble and cooperative theater, and guest performances, with the latter being ruled out immediately due to cultural disadvantages. In a half-day workshop, the steering committee from the city and the cooperative discussed and evaluated the scenarios based on jointly developed criteria.
Parallel to the strategic work, actori carried out a conceptual analysis of the structural requirements, focusing on functional optimizations of the central utility rooms. This resulted in modular renovation recommendations, including a room program and cost framework.
Impact
- The well-founded basis for decision-making on the future of this traditional theater creates strategic clarity for all parties involved.
- The extensive involvement of various stakeholders creates broad acceptance for change and legitimizes its implementation.
- The study also provided insights into how to increase efficiency and strengthen cultural impact.
- The modular renovation recommendation enables flexible, needs-based structural implementation.
- The concrete roadmap for the next steps provides clarity for the implementation of parallel development strands.
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The project has been implemented by Julius Geiger, consultant and Prof. Maurice Lausberg, Managing Partner and Founder.