Chavrier faced claims of management deemed authoritarian within the institution that led to the departure of several people.
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Séverine Chavrier, director of the Swiss theatre Comédie de Genève since 2023, has been dismissed. The Fondation d’art dramatique (dramatic arts foundation) said on Friday that it was ending its working relationship as controversy swirls around Chavrier.
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The decision was taken on Friday morning by a majority of the foundation’s board, whose chair Philippe Juvet was elected earlier this week to replace Lorella Bertani, who had resigned. The decision was communicated to all staff after Chavrier was informed she was being let go. The dramatic arts foundation had no further comment.
The announcement comes as the results of a human resources audit involving around 150 people were due to be released this week. However, Chavrier’s lawyer, Romain Jordan, obtained a ban on the publication of these results through super-provisional measures.
In a statement, Jordan responded to Friday’s decision by saying: “The foundation, a master of bullying, is dysfunctional and will stop at nothing to infringe on personal rights! The president [of the board] was therefore telling the truth: they want to get rid of my client ‘at any cost’ and want her ‘to get out’! Tonight, my thoughts are with Geneva.”
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The lawyer added that he is filing a complaint with the administrative council of the City of Geneva and is urgently requesting the mayor to issue provisional measures: “The foundation is out of control and is not fit to handle this case.”
Audit
Following allegations made by staff members, Chavrier was relieved of her operational duties in November by the foundation, which had requested an audit of the working environment. The City of Geneva had also requested a governance audit from the Court of Auditors.
Nevertheless, Chavrier remained artistic director. Through her lawyer, the Franco-Swiss national had also recently requested the publication of the report by the City of Geneva’s Arts and Culture Commission. Her lawyer criticised the human resources audit as “one-sided” and “opaque”.
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After filing a criminal complaint in January, Chavrier had appealed against the decision not to renew her term of office, which was due to expire in June 2027. She continued to claim broad support within the institution. Her lawyer also called for external mediation rather than audits, “which will be very costly” and which he questioned.
The case caused a stir within the board of the dramatic arts foundation, a public-law foundation that oversees not only the Comédie but also the Théâtre Le Poche. In addition to Bertani, several members had tendered their resignations to take effect at the end of February, including vice-chair Anne-Marie Gisler.
Translated from French with AI/gw
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