On September 6, the citizens of Saxony-Anhalt, a state in the former East Germany, will vote in a closely watched election. Recent polls put the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party at an unprecedented 43 percent.
Among the potentially profound consequences for the region if the party governs Saxony-Anhalt are changes to its artistic life, of which Theater Magdeburg is a prominent representative. Led by the Swiss director Julien Chavaz, the theater currently produces experimental and avant-garde programming in an amount that belies Magdeburg’s size and cultural stature— the world premiere of Gerald Barry’s opera “Salome” I saw in March 2025 was the kind of bold flop generally associated with houses in larger cities. But the AfD party program has promised to put a stop to taxpayer funding for what it sees as overly international, woke performances, and Theater Magdeburg’s most interesting programming could be under threat if the polls are accurate.
Earlier this summer, I drove to Magdeburg to speak to Chavaz about his plan in the case of an AfD victory, the mood among employees at the theater, and the importance of art as a place to skewer the rich and powerful.
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