The collaboration between the International Theater Amsterdam (ITA) and director Ivo van Hove will end immediately. The supervisory board will also step down. The theater company announced this in a press release.
Two external studies were recently published which showed that one in three employees of the theatre company has experienced transgressive behaviour. According to the studies, employees have mainly suffered from abuse of power and intimidation. A research leader told News Hour that this behavior came mainly from people “high up in the hierarchy”. The high work and performance pressure would have been explanations for the transgressive behavior.
Discontinued
The end of the collaboration with Ivo van Hove was “decided in good mutual consultation”, according to the director’s spokesperson. Van Hove has been working at ITA since 2001, his contract ran until 2025. In the past decades he has directed well-known theatre productions including Jesus Christ Superstar in Lazarus.
Clayde Menso, General Manager: “The appreciation for Ivo van Hove’s artistic contributions is still there, but there is a need to end the collaboration with him. By taking these steps and creating space for recovery and transparency, the interests and feelings of all those involved are taken seriously.”
Renewal
In the press release, ITA speaks of the theatre company needing “rest, recovery and renewal”. The resignation of the supervisory board should also contribute to this. The goal will be to “make room for the cultural shift that the organisation now needs.”
Photo: Michiel Hendryckx
