The Rote Fabrik Cultural Center: Behind the Scenes

The IG Rote Fabrik (Interest Group Rote Fabrik) is a registered association. Its organizational structure been based on grass-root democracy since its foundation in 1980. The IG Rote Fabrik association consists of approximately 300 registered members. The general assembly of members represents the official legal body of the association.

The members of the IG Rote Fabrik board are in charge of the statutory and legal business of the association and represent it in public. The board members keep in touch with happenings at the Rote Fabrik and support the management team in their function as an executive management. Board members also have a seat in advisory and coordinative commissions.
The management team consists of sixteen persons. They are employed on a regular basis and run the Rote Fabrik as a collective - they make decisions by mutual consent and share the responsibility. They also share the same basic wage and, in return, do not have put up with hierarchies.
The members of the management team represent the heart of the cultural center. They ensure a smooth operation of all the activities at the Rote Fabrik on a daily basis. Four persons work in the administration and are responsible for human resources, accounting and IT. The members of the commissions support them in their work. The cultural departments of the Rote Fabrik are managed by two persons each. There is a Music Department, a Theater Department (in charge of theater, dance, and theater for kids and young adults), and a Special Events Department. The three technical departments Lighting, Sound and Stage/Video are staffed with two persons each as well. A quota regulation ensures a balance between female and male employees in all departments, including the technical ones. The Rote Fabrik offers technical internships for women who aspire to become lighting and sound engineers, thus contributing to equal opportunities for women in a male dominated work area.

In addition to the members of the management team, more than one hundred culturally interested persons contribute to the program of the Rote Fabrik. They are free-lance members for the cultural departments and play an important part in the creation, planning and operation of the center's cultural program. Thanks to their contribution, the Rote Fabrik can promote over 300 events a year.

Every person who works on a regular basis as a member of one of the cultural departments can participate in the Rote Fabrik council. The council is constituted by members of the cultural departments, by the management team, by members of the board, and by members of the restaurant «Ziegel oh Lac» collective. The Rote Fabrik council decides on the budget, on investments and on the delegation of commission members. General topics such as innovations, internal policies and the overall direction of the Rote Fabrik are on the council's agenda as well. The council meets at least once a year, or whenever necessary. The annual expenditures of the IG Rote Fabrik sum up to approximately 3.7 million Swiss francs. The city of Zurich subsidizes the cultural center with 2.4 million francs. Further financial revenues are generated by membership subscriptions, event proceeds, contributions, and rental incomes.

IG Rote Fabrik membership fee is 45.00 francs a year and includes a subscription to the Rote Fabrik monthly newspaper, the "FabrikZeitung". Become a member…