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Another old white man.

Again alleged abuse of power at the theater.

Many want to have known it, even more - presumably - have looked the other way and endured it.

At least that's what the “taz” claims, which on Saturday denounced the proudly left Volksbühne Berlin as “a stage for sexists” on two pages.

Largely without question marks and convinced of her educational mission.

This time the economist Klaus Dörr (60) was at the center of the action.

He has been the interim director of the Volksbühne since 2018, succeeding the terribly failed Chris Dercon, until the playwright and director René Pollesch will take over there in the summer of 2021.

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Berlin's Senator for Culture Klaus Lederer (Die Linke) had appointed the pragmatic Dörr because he had matured through the Berliner Ensemble, the Maxim-Gorki-Theater and the Staatstheater Stuttgart at the side of Armin Petras to the deputy artistic director, because he was effectively management with an interest in art Association.

And so far Klaus Dörr has done his ascension job in the depressed, former model institution with decency.

Or so it seemed.

Allegations against Barenboim, the Gorki is seething

But now Lederer, who likes to hesitate when it comes to personnel issues, prefers to extend it rather than venture into something artistic, according to "taz" another MeToo case on the table.

In 2019, massive allegations were made against Daniel Barenboim, the star conductor and artistic director of the State Opera, and have since then been practically inconclusive.

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The Maxim-Gorki-Theater had been bubbling over and over again.

And the currently leaderless state ballet was confronted with accusations of racism.

According to a complaint from ten women at the Themis office of trust against sexual harassment and violence, Klaus Dörr, who appears calm and confident, is said to be “close, intimate, physical closeness and contact, erotic remarks, suggestive jokes, sexist sayings” and “openly staring at on the chest, inappropriate text messaging, upskirting, threatening gestures and verbal intimidation ”.

In addition, employees reported erotic remarks, requests to wear high-heeled shoes and staring looks.

In relation to the "taz", Dörr explained that the allegations were "baseless and insubstantial".

Drank wine and preached water?

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The "taz" also claims that the Senate Administration was informed of the incidents a long time ago, and that similar accusations are known from Dörr's time at the Gorki Theater and in Stuttgart.

Was there, once again at the theater, someone drinking wine and preaching water?

This is how it is suggested, since Klaus Dörr started with a mostly female team in order to install a new feminism in the former bulwark of Frank Castorf and Johannes Kresnik.

Allegedly, however, it was precisely the precariously paid women, who could be terminated annually for “artistic reasons” that could hardly be questioned, and who were in many ways dependent on the overpowering boss, precisely the victims.

The Volksbühne is not an isolated case.

At the Kölner Schauspiel in 2018, the boss Stefan Bachmann was confronted with the accusation of abuse of power, which of course failed.

In the summer of 2020, the overall toxic situation at the Karlsruhe State Theater exploded, where General Director Peter Spuhler, who was applauded for his all-woman policy in the subordinate divisional manager functions, was politically unstoppable because of his authoritarian, long-known company culture of fear, despite a contract extension that had just taken place.

New structures, new transparency

In addition, a senior staff member of the youth theater had to leave for sexual harassment, and recently a chorister there was sentenced to one year and seven months in prison for sexual assault.

No matter what becomes concrete in the current case, the macho bastion of the stage urgently needs to be reformed.

Above all, there is a need for broader management structures, transparency and better social security.