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Berlin (dpa) - The director of the Berlin Theatertreffen has promoted thinking more about new management structures on stages.
"It is simply time to break the traditional and practiced power structures and leave no room for discrimination," said Yvonne Büdenhölzer of the German Press Agency before the festival began on Thursday (May 13th).
"If that doesn't happen, then I think the theater will lose its credibility as a critical medium for reflection," said Büdenhölzer.
Critical issues are negotiated on stage, but things are often different backstage.
"I would like to emphasize that it is not the case in all houses."
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In the theater scene, discrimination and abuse of power had recently been discussed more often.
At the Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus and the Berlin State Ballet it was about racism.
At the Berlin Volksbühne, the director resigned after allegations by several women.
The working atmosphere at the Maxim Gorki Theater was also discussed.
"Some cases are just coming to the public, and that is certainly an encouragement for many not to look the other way any longer," said Büdenhölzer, who runs the Theatertreffen, one of the most important stage festivals.
Since the #MeToo movement, questions of discrimination of all kinds and thus leadership and responsibility have come to the fore much more.
“But what is happening right now is that this public debate is perceiving the theater business negatively.
Scandals such as at the Berliner Volksbühne or at the Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus have reached the broad area, ”said Büdenhölzer.
"I was asked about it by many people who had nothing to do with theater."
She thinks it is good to lead the debates with such harshness.
"We are ahead of many other areas of society."
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Büdenhölzer advocated distributing the artistic direction over several shoulders.
"The idea of the sole ruler at the helm of a theater is no longer up-to-date."
You need structures that deal productively with hierarchies and people who are ready to take on responsibility in the end.
“But I think it would make sense to split this position among different people.
For example, a dual leadership or a team. "
Artistic directors would of course already have managing directors at their side.
That's not what she mean.
«I am wondering how the position of the artistic director can be divided up in a meaningful way.
Four eyes simply see more than two. "
Then you simply have more contact persons in the management.
"Often there is a person at the head of a house who has a lot of creative freedom and thus also power, but shuns responsibility," said Büdenhölzer.
That could have a negative impact on operations.
“And there are positive examples with shared leadership.
For example the Schauspielhaus Zürich - the position of the artistic director is divided there. "
The Schauspiel Basel is directed by several people, the Theaterhaus Jena has been working with a management team for decades.
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"I think we need more positive examples," said Büdenhölzer. She also called for a rethink in higher-level positions. “Politicians often argue that they want someone to take responsibility. And then I ask myself: Why can't there be more than one? In addition, a great artist is not automatically a good artistic director. " In her team, she works with flat hierarchies and her own management for various areas.
Every year the Berlin Theatertreffen shows ten remarkable productions from Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
A jury makes the selection - even the invitation counts as an award.
Because of the pandemic, the festival has to take place online again - all ten productions are shown on the Internet.
You can watch them online for free - or buy a ticket on a voluntary basis.
The Theatertreffen will open on Thursday evening with “Simply the End of the World” by Christopher Rüping at the Schauspielhaus Zurich.
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