Cultural crisis in Josefstadt: Föttinger makes serious allegations!

Cultural crisis in Josefstadt: Föttinger makes serious allegations!

Things are simmering in the Josephstadt Theater: Director Herbert Föttinger is under pressure after allegations of abuse of power were made. While he is waiting for a response from Culture Minister Andreas Babler, which has so far failed to materialize, public interest in the matter appears to be unbroken. Profil describes that Föttinger has already asked for a conversation with Babler four times, but without success. In contrast, he had an appointment with Blümel within a very short time, but it was found to be fruitless.

Föttinger, who shaped the theater for 20 years, sees the current government as uninspiring and criticizes the lack of passionate personalities with a clear political course. He even wanted to invite FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl to his canteen to discuss refugee issues - but Kickl waited and didn't come.

Abuse of power in focus

The allegations that were discussed in the “Standard” shook up the theater. Föttinger is asked to be resigned by the FPÖ and describes the reporting as defamation. He has not yet received any response to his inquiries from the complainants. He expresses concerns as to whether affidavits and an underlying legal opinion are actually reliable. The discussion about abuse of power in cultural companies is also gaining momentum in Vienna, as tfmlog reports. Verbal and physical attacks, a toxic working atmosphere and discrimination in German-speaking theaters are discussed here.

For affected artists in theater and film who report abuse of power, this topic is anything but new. Thomas Schmidt already showed in his 2019 study “Power and Structure in the Theater” that incidents cannot be dismissed as isolated cases. The hierarchical structure of many theaters, both city and state, encourages this abuse.

A turbulent farewell

Föttinger himself would like to use his final months as director to create a worthy transition. Despite the difficulties he experienced during his time in office, he sees his decision to quit at 65 as a relief. During his active time, he not only renovated two houses, but also significantly changed the program and developed the theater into a premiere theater. Nevertheless, it is regrettable that 18 ensemble members, including well-known faces such as Marianne Nentwich and his wife Sandra Cervik, do not receive a contract extension. For Föttinger this is undignified behavior.

He expresses his trust in the new director Marie Rötzer and wishes her good luck for the challenges ahead. However, his final decision as director, made by the supervisory board, clearly shows that the future of the theater will have new circumstances. This is also taking place as part of the increased discussions about power relations in the cultural sector.

An enlightening documentary entitled “Against Silence – Abuse of Power in Theater and Film,” created by Kira Gantner and Zita Zengerling, will be released in 2024 and could further shed light on these critical issues. The topic for the students of the course “Power and Abuse in Institutionalized Theater” is also of great importance. In their projects, they examine various aspects of this complex problem.

Current social developments make it clear that it is high time to address these issues openly and demand sustainable changes.