News & Update FTTS 2026

Dear members of the independent dance and theater scene in Stuttgart,

We would like to thank you for actively utilizing the cultural funding opportunities provided by the City of Stuttgart. This demonstrates how dynamic and productive the independent dance and theater scene is here.

To ensure a transition between the budget of the previous biennial budget and the current, reduced budget (biennial budget 2026/27) and to address the cuts in the city’s funding for performances and revivals (see below), this year we will primarily use our performance and revival funding from our institutional funding for all productions that have received project funding from the City of Stuttgart.

The resources for performance and revival funding in Stuttgart are already exhausted, even in February.
We urgently request those who have received a funding commitment from the city for this year to contact us by February 28th and inform us of their needs for performance funding.

Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

→ info@ftts-stuttgart.de

We look forward to continued collaboration and to your many good ideas. We, the FTTS team, are committed to doing everything possible, especially under these challenging conditions, to keep the scene rich, lively, creative, and strong.

Sincerely,

Your FTTS Team – Philipp, Tobi, Natalie, Bernhard, and Gui

The Decision of the Stuttgart City Council in Figures

The decision of the Stuttgart City Council means the following for the independent dance and theater scene in Stuttgart for the 2026/27 biennial budget:

The juried funding pool (project funding) is reduced by EUR 198,000 (33%) and now stands at EUR 402,000 p.a. (previously EUR 600,000).
The City of Stuttgart’s funding for performances and revivals is reduced by EUR 65,000 (25%) and now stands at EUR 195,000 p.a. (previously EUR 260,000).
FTTS’s institutional funding will henceforth be EUR 199,200 p.a. (previously EUR 252,000). In addition, temporary funds amounting to EUR 244,600 within our institutional funding have expired.
Last year, EUR 162,000 from our institutional funding was provided for performances and revivals of innovative projects. This included, for example, funding for productions that did not receive project funding from the City of Stuttgart but could demonstrate additional third-party funding (funding from the state or foundations). This fund is referred to as performance or revival funding from FTTS’s institutional funding. After the cut, this fund still amounts to EUR 92,908. We have reduced our own structures within our office to be able to provide more funds from our institutional funding directly for performance and revival funding to independent performing artists in Stuttgart.

What is FTTS doing in this context?

In recent weeks, we have made decisions to maintain as many structures as possible for the independent scene, cushion the impact of the cuts, and counteract a broad reduction in offerings.
Due to the cuts in institutional funding for FTTS, we are currently undergoing restructuring and reorganization processes within our office. These restructuring measures will occupy our capacities and time for several more weeks.

The position for press and public relations can no longer be filled due to the cuts, and we had to eliminate this full-time position. Internally, we are reallocating important public relations tasks to maintain services such as the newsletter, publications on our website, and management of social media channels for you. As part of our restructuring, our website will undergo a redesign.

As part of this restructuring process, we are examining the extent to which adjustments to the application procedure for performance and revival funding are possible. The goal is to reduce bureaucracy and simplify the process in your interest. Discussions with the cultural administration are underway. We will keep you informed.

We are currently also engaged in exploratory and exchange discussions with the directors of the Stuttgart Theater Solidarity Community and local politicians. The goal is long-term cooperation and collaboration to find new venues for the independent scene.

Equipment Rental System Revised

Our equipment rental system has been revised. In the future, artists from the scene can rent three different packages with three different rental fees from us.