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Former director Uwe Eric Laufenberg: end in horror?
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Jörg Halisch/dpa
After lengthy arguments, the director of the Wiesbaden State Theater Uwe Eric Laufenberg left the house early.
As the new Hesse art minister Timon Gremmels announced, Laufenberg stopped his work on Monday.
Gremmels said he met with the director immediately after taking office.
"Both sides have decided to end their joint work on January 22, 2024 after almost ten years."
Laufenberg will neither continue to act nor direct at the Wiesbaden State Theater.
The reason for the hasty departure is apparently an internal crisis that was simmering in the state theater.
Laufenberg had long had a feud with a cultural journalist from the “Wiesbadener Kurier” and wanted to bring the dispute to the stage of his own house.
The director had announced an evening for March under the title “Latte – Correspondence with an Editor”.
Laufenberg had previously also invited the sanctioned opera singer Anna Netrebko to join the ranks of conspiracy mongers in "solo discourses" about hygiene concepts, including scaring off the orchestra director and the general music director.
There was also a dispute with the ministry.
The director brought these tensions to the stage at short notice with a piece (“The Ministry”).
Confidentiality about termination of the contract
Laufenberg's departure was already a done deal, probably for these reasons.
The two new directors Dorothea Hartmann and Beate Heine are expected at the start of the 2024/25 season.
Now the end of his term of office has been brought forward.
Timon Gremmels, who has been the new Hesse Minister for Science, Research, Art and Culture since January 18, said: "I am pleased that an amicable solution to the long-simmering conflict has now been found."
According to the information, it was agreed not to disclose the terms of the contract termination.
Discussions with the department heads of the house regarding further program planning are planned in the near future.
cpa/dpa