Lights, Camera, Allegation! The Court Theatre’s “toxic” work culture

The Court Theatre are currently based in The Shed in Addington.

Christchurch’s iconic Court Theatre is under the spotlight after The Press shone a light on allegations of a “toxic” work culture allegedly created by their CEO. 

Chief Executive Barbara George has gone on medical leave after The Press asked for a response to the allegations, an investigation conducted by Shannon Redstall.

The Press uncovered the allegations from current and former employees, entailing that the “toxic” and “poor” work culture was led by George.

The Press spoke to 22 ongoing and preceding staff members, only one of whom spoke highly of George. Out of all who came forward to share their say in the investigation, former Associate Director Dan Bain was the only person to put his name on the record.

Canta asked Bain why he chose to do so. “​​I guess I saw the possibility to add credence to a lot of people's stories. From a place where I had nothing to lose, and there's nothing else that The Court Theatre can take away from me.”

 Bain worked for the Court for nearly two decades as an actor, writer, director, and improviser. He served as its Associate Director for three years. He told Canta, “I’m clearly blacklisted there,” which he attributes in part to George. “I haven’t been in the building for four years”.

George became the Court’s CEO in 2018 after taking over from Philip Aldridge. Aldridge had come to an end of his 13-year journey with The Court Theatre, moving on to become the Chief Executive of The Arts Centre.

Bain explained Aldridge’s impact on the theatre, claiming that “immediately prior to Philip leaving and Barbara George coming on, The Court Theatre was possibly at the best place, culturally, that it had been for quite some time.”

The Court’s current production, Dance Nation, has Artistic Director Alison Walls at the helm.

Bain described how historically, there had been many issues around company culture at the theatre to the point where external consultants had come in to work on that culture.

“The whole process seemed to actually have worked fairly well. Things were in a reasonable kind of place, kind of looking forward. And then Barbara came,” Bain stated.

Despite status quo resuming for the initial entrance of George, Bain entails how “​​she very quickly kind of removed a lot of the things that had been put in place to deal with kind of cultural issues in the theatre.”

Providing examples of George’s removal of things such as “massive value programmes”, Bain reveals her replacement of these programmes with things that she liked.

“So, it was basically a bunch of safeguards that had, kind of, been put in place for people's wellbeing were removed. And then it wasn't terribly long before, you know, it became fairly evident that she wasn't a particularly, kind of, empathetic person.”

When Canta asked how George affected the company, Bain responded by saying “I mean, the turnover numbers kind of speak for themselves, right?”

More than 30 people have quit The Court Theatre during George’s 5 years as Chief Executive

Ticket sales are down at the Court.

Amidst the heat of the Barbara George allegations, The Press also revealed information about the theatre's struggling financial situation.

The Press received information from a leaked audio recording of a staff meeting, in which the new Head of Finance Kevin Fee stated that “basically, we’re in a position now where we are literally running out of cash... as time goes by, the money is disappearing”.

 He projected an operating money loss of more than $1 million if nothing was done, to which he explained that rising costs, difficult sales and sponsorship environment were to blame, according to The Press.

The budget for The Court Theatre’s new location in the central city has climbed from $30 million to $56 million, with $46 million coming from the Christchurch City Council.

In their article, The Press disclosed a statement from a former senior executive, in which he stated, “[i]f there was a change at the top, the theatre could be doing what it’s made to do for Canterbury within 6 to 12 months, and be doing it well, and profitably, and for the betterment of Canterbury.”

Bain comments on the affected company of people involved.

“A lot of people, who no longer work there, loved the Theatre with all their heart. And they were, you know, chased out, bullied out, made to feel uncomfortable, unwanted.”

The Court’s new venue is set to open in 2024.