Wiener Staatsoper General Director Opens Up About #MeToo Movement

By Francisco Salazar

General Director of the Wiener Staatsoper Dominique Meyer has spoken up about the #MeToo movement.

Meyer, who will be taking the post of General Director at the Teatro alla Scala and will end his term in Vienna in March, criticized American institutions on how they dealt with Plácido Domingo.

He told the AP, “I do not admire really what is happening in America. When one takes decisions under pressure of the press … part of the press, under pressure of the social media. I have the impression that we are living in countries where there are laws, rules, police, judges, processes.”

He added, “First, if we have a clear case, we have to make decisions. I, personally, do not want bad things to happen in the opera houses that I have to run. This is a clear statement. On the other hand, for us, it is often very difficult because we are not judges. We are not policemen. And many times you don’t have too clear situations.”

He also urged directors not to make judgement without a legal process based on what happened in another company.

He said, “If I make a decision to fire an artist because (something) maybe happened in another place, I have a … signed contract. He can go to a judge and say, ‘Why did Mr. Meyer cancel my contract?’ He will win. I have no possibility to know myself what happened in another venue,’’ Meyer said. “If there is a complaint in my house, the first thing is to stop everything and work with my legal department just to know. This is a different situation. If I have no complaint in my theater, I need to wait until a judge says what happened.”

In reference to Domingo, Meyer said that the Spanish singer “behaves very correctly, more than correctly” and noted that no one in Vienna has ever criticized his behavior.

Meyer did however, state that sexual harassment cases should be taken seriously in the opera world in order to better the behind-the-scenes culture.

 

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