Accordingly, the Vienna Labor and Social Court awarded the theater house 19,231 euros. It had demanded around 95,000 euros, for example for canceled performances, newly printed programs and legal fees. However, the court saw the Burgtheater’s complicity.
Between 2008 and 2021, Teichtmeister obtained images of abused children and young people and changed a significant number of the files by creating collages or slide shows or adding text annotations to the material. For this, he was sentenced to two years in prison last September and admitted to a forensic-therapeutic center, whereby both his prison sentence and his placement in the penal system were conditionally suspended, subject to a five-year probationary period.
Pieces were canceled or recast
The Burgtheater had initially believed the protestations of innocence of its dismissed ensemble member and continued to cast him in leading roles. After his confession to the authorities became known, the plays were canceled or recast. According to reports, the court now held that Teichtmeister had not fulfilled his obligation to inform his employer regarding “imminent damage as a result of the criminal proceedings”. However, when the Burgtheater found out regarding criminal proceedings once morest the actor in September 2021, it “should not have given so much weight” to his information. If Teichtmeister had no longer been employed from that point on, “any damage would have been drastically reduced.”
The court attributed the blame for the damage ultimately incurred to “two thirds to the detriment of the plaintiff and one third to the detriment of the defendant.” This results in a claim for damages of 19,231 euros, although the Burgtheater had demanded a total of 94,493 euros. The theater also had to reimburse Teichtmeister for procedural costs amounting to 6,053 euros. “The Burgtheater is reviewing the verdict,” said the theater’s press office in response to an APA request. The deadline for an appeal is one month.
