German opera fires boss over ‘toxic working atmosphere’

German opera fires boss over ‘toxic working atmosphere’

News

norman lebrecht

July 09, 2021

Staatstheaters Karlsruhe last night dismissed its Generalintendant Peter Spuhler with immediate effect over what was described as ‘toxic working atmosphere’ involving ‘control, mistrust and choleric outbursts’.

More than one-third of the 850 staff had taken part in a demonstration demanding Spuhler’s dismissal. He had been in charge since 2011.

The veteran manager Ulrich Peters has been parachuted in from Münster as his replacement.

Comments

  • Brettermeier says:

    ” ‘toxic working atmosphere’ involving ‘control, mistrust and choleric outbursts’.”

    That’s what I heard over the last nine years. Why now?

    “Staatstheaters Karlsruhe”

    It’s just Staatstheater. The s would imply a plural, which would be wrong because there’s just one. And because the plural also is “-theater”.

  • dorset dick says:

    what is former karlsruhe music director Justin brown doing nowadays ?

  • Kathleen E King says:

    Now, if only we could get rid of Peter GELB!!

  • C Rogers says:

    In this era of almost daily reports of various abuses in the arts world the same was true in my field of education. When I started my career in the late nineties it was utterly shocking to find how far behind progressive thought the staff were towards students and with each other. The emotional .issue of power by different levels of management was everywhere I a large school. Low emotional illiteracy, incompetence, ambition…..

  • Henry williams says:

    Nothing new. These people get away with this
    Behaviour for many years.

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