Paris (AFP)

Blamed for "serious" managerial problems, the artistic director of the Théâtre du Châtelet Ruth Mackenzie was dismissed on Friday from one of the most prestigious French stages, a decision she intends to challenge.

The 63-year-old Briton was appointed head of the historic theater in 2017 but had to wait until 2019 to announce her first season, due to two years of work.

Her brief tenure, during which she tried to renew the public, was marked in particular by the controversy of "DAU", an immersive - and expensive - project which aimed to take the public on a "trip" to the Soviet Union.

This crisis comes while the whole of the performing arts is still in the turmoil of the health crisis.

A source very familiar with the matter told AFP that "the affair had been brewing for a long time and it was the board of directors of Châtelet which asked Ms. Mackenzie to leave following an audit carried out by a cabinet independent".

- "Suffering at work" -

"The audit showed serious managerial deficits; there was suffering at work due to the pressure exerted on employees and above all a lack of recognition of their work," explains the source.

There was also "a tendency to resort to outside boxes to get the job done; it caused quite understandable tensions and that's what ignited the powder."

Asked by AFP, Ms. Mackenzie, who was the first woman to be appointed head of Chatelet, described the decision as "shocking, brutal and cruel".

"I received a letter yesterday notifying me that I was fired. My salary and email were cut off with immediate effect," she said, assuring that she was going to "challenge the decision" legally. "I am treated like a criminal and I am not".

“There was an investigation into my management style which concluded that I was not guilty of any misconduct that would merit dismissal. The investigation recommended that I take management training and improve my French, this which I accepted immediately, ”Ms. Mackenzie continued.

The Châtelet is a municipal theater and the City of Paris subsidizes it to the tune of 15.8 million euros, not counting the 35 million already paid for the renovation and three million euros for the purchase of equipment in 2019.

"Since taking office, Châtelet has suffered a deficit of three million euros. There was a very expensive first season with a very mixed result and a lack of financial management," according to the same source.

A project like the much contested "DAU" has "greatly exceeded the 150,000 euros invested by the Châtelet".

If some productions were successful, there were ultimately very few creations.

"I had a mandate to be radical, to attract a new audience, new artists to the Châtelet, like Adb Al Malik or Rone, some people were very enthusiastic, others not; but why am I brutally fired without proof of mismanagement? "asked the Briton.

Asked by AFP in the evening, the new assistant in charge of culture, Carine Rolland - who replaced Christophe Girard -, confirmed that "the City of Paris has been informed of serious managerial difficulties, based on cross-checked facts and analyzed ".

"It is not the talent of Ruth Mackenzie that is called into question (...) the City must exercise its responsibility, especially when suffering, whatever its form, is expressed", he said. she says.

Ms. Rolland assured that the audit had included a large number of people and refuted as well as a "cultural gap" is at the origin of this crisis.

A process is underway to appoint his replacement. The general manager, Thomas Lauriot dit Prévost, will remain in his post.

Former artistic director of the Holland Festival in the Netherlands, Ruth Mackenzie has also directed the London 2012 Cultural Olympics, the Manchester International Festival and the Scottish Opera, and notably advised the Tate Modern in 2013.

© 2020 AFP