“On Friday, two orders were published in the public newsletter of the city of Warsaw: one on the dismissal of Monika Strzepka from the position of the director of the drama theater, and the other on entrusting the technical affairs of the theater to the deputy director of the theater Mariusz Guglas. since 2017,” reports sklep.pl.
The reason for the decision of the vice-president of Warsaw, Aldona Machnowska-Gora, is “withdrawal from the implementation of the agreement on the organizational and financial conditions of the activities of cultural institutions and the current program of cultural institutions, concluded by T. June 21, 2022.” In Macnowska-Gora's statement, we read that the decision was made “after receiving all the necessary opinions: the Minister of Culture and National Heritage, the Association of Polish Stage Artists, the Association of Theater Directors and trade unions operating in the drama theater”.
“Now the main thing is to maintain the stability and continuity of the institution. The current deputy director, Mariusz Guglas, has been acting as director since January 6. We will prepare a competition for the director of the drama theater as soon as possible. MP Rafal Trzaskovsky notes.
It is interesting that, according to the spokesperson of the City Hall, Jakub Leduhovski, Monika Strzepka refused the dismissal document, which was brought to the drama theater by the management of the Culture Service. Therefore, the letter was submitted to the official journal.
Storm around Strzepka
In December, due to non-fulfilment of the provisions of the contract by the director, St. The capital's office in Warsaw started the procedure for Strzepka's dismissal.
“The capital city of Warsaw has started the procedure of dismissing Monika Strzepka from the position of the director of the Drama Theater. The decision is caused by the deepening crisis and the non-fulfillment of the concluded contract,” said the vice-president of Warsaw. social media.
In addition, the Warsaw office of the capital sought the opinion of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage, the Association of Polish Stage Artists, the Polish Actors' Union, the Association of Theater Directors and the trade unions active in the drama theater.
“The National Labor Inspectorate is currently inspecting the drama theater. The city's inspection will begin in January 2024,” Macnowska-Gora said in mid-December.
Mobbing in Dramatichni?
The key moment was the cancellation of the premiere of the play “Hex”. According to the spokesperson of the theater, the premiere and all December shows will not be held. “Additional information will be provided in a separate statement. We apologize for any inconvenience,” said Maia Raczynska.
Before that, the author of “Hex” Agnieszka Szpila accused Monika Strzepka of betraying feminist ideals. In addition, it was reported that TD actors accused the head of the institution of mobbing activities. There was a wave of departures.
In a statement published on social media, Agnieszka Špila wrote: “The mental and emotional suffering that the cast has experienced recently is so devastating that I will not be able to watch this play, I will forget what I have seen and experienced. The team has been participating in theater rehearsals for the past few years. I distance myself from the revolution preached by Monika Strzepka, who mentions my text, because according to her version, the Hex Coup d'Or is fake. He preaches the whole revolution.
About the storm surrounding the drama theater and its director, Monika Strzepka, Zuzana Dabrowska wrote in the weekly “Do Rzeczy”..
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Drama Theater without Strzępka. The scandalist resigns