Scandal in Hanover
State theater suspends ballet director after dog excrement attack
Ballet director Marco Goecke 2019 in the foyer of the Hanover State Opera Photo
© Christophe Gateau/dpa
For the ballet director of the Hanover State Theater, the scandal has consequences at a premiere on Saturday: After his attack with dog feces on the critic Wiebke Hüster, he is banned from the house.
The ballet director of the Hanover State Theater, Marco Goecke, has been suspended after a dog excrement attack on a journalist. The State Theater in Hanover announced on Monday that it had caused massive damage to the State Opera and the State Ballet. “Therefore, the theater management is suspending him with immediate effect and banning him from the house until further notice in order to protect the ballet ensemble and state theater from further damage.”
Various media first reported on the suspension – including the “Hannoversche Allgemeine”, the “Bild” and the NDR, which reported on a “leave of absence”. Goecke was asked to apologize comprehensively in the next few days and to explain to the theater management before informing about further steps, the theater said.
On Saturday evening at the premiere of the ballet evening “Faith – Love – Hope”, the ballet director smeared the critic of the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung”, Wiebke Hüster, with dog excrement in the foyer of the opera house. He had previously accused her of having canceled ballet subscriptions because of her negative personal reviews.
The State Theater confirmed the incident. The director of the State Opera, Laura Berman, said: “We contacted Wiebke Hüster immediately after the incident and apologized to her personally and publicly.” The Hanover State Opera is an open place of respectful cooperation and exchange.