This guide to Berlin’s independent performing arts community provides valuable insight into the community and is ideally suited for helping you to discover something new and be well informed for a personal visit to Berlin.

These guidelines are intended for everyone who is looking to begin working in the independent performing arts again, anew, differently or for the very first time and, for example, would like to be able to realize an artistic project. No matter whether it is after completing your studies, after completing a permanent engagement, when changing fields or when returning to the field after a break: these guidelines are intended to serve you as a small, clear source of structure and information on your journey through the funding system.

This publication contains descriptions of three different experimental communication formats that have been initiated, tested and further developed within Berlin’s independent performing arts community. They will be accompanied by personal reports, reflections and observations that are dedicated to different aspects of the topic of perception(s). It serves as an invitation to reconsider the interaction with the audience.

Collective, Networked, Solidary – A Handbook on Work Structures in the Independent Performing Arts: Our handbook presents seven working models, explains the accompanying legal forms and formulates texts for work forms.

Published in November 2018, the handbook contains eight experimental communication formats that were initiated, tested and further developed between 2016 and 2018 within Berlin’s independent performing arts community – along with practical tips for their implementation as well as the invitation to continue to think about concepts for art communication.

The artists and culture producers Marwa Almokbel, Charlotte Bomy, Anastasia Gorokhova, Urszula Heuwinkel, Steve Mekoudja, Defne Sahin and Frederika Tsai conducted research into and compiled opportunities, points of contact, networks and helpful tips for working as a freelance artist in Berlin in their respective languages.

In collaboration with attorney Sonja Laaser, we publish individual information material regarding the respective themes of the events.

NOTE: The informational materials will be continuously updated as the legal framework is constantly changing.
The Information Material is currently only available in German. As it requires greater effort and expenditures to create a bilingual version, we would be greatly appreciative if you could use the German version. If that is not possible, simply let us know and we will do our best to provide a version in English as well.

We do ask you to bear in mind that the remarks in the information material do not constitute a replacement for legal consultation.We expressly advise you to avoid simply copying and pasting contractual components without examining them in detail. Contractual components must be individual adapted to the respective case at hand. The information material is solely intended to comment upon legal topics relevant for the independent performing arts community and provide information about the current legal situation. Liability on our part is excluded for any contractual components you adopt or use.