Carouge Theater: Jean Liermier goes by the wayside

This Tuesday, a big clap of thunder tore through the gray surrounding – like everything else – the theatrical life at the end of the lake. The lively Jean Liermier, at the head of Carouge Theater since 2008, announced that he would not renew his mandate at the head of the institution beyond its next deadline in June 2026. Its foundation board, chaired by Georges Schürch, took note of the decision “with regret », this Monday, September 30, and is already putting his position of general director up for competition.

Nothing suggested this twist. After the shock, we made a phone call to the person concerned, a bit in a hurry. He responds within a minute, in the same cheerful tone that he reserves for all exchanges, whether he is speaking as an actor, director or theater manager. “Wait, I still have almost two more years in my chair!”, he begins by reassuring, “and with lots of great projects until then!”

Serving the public

The one who was the unforgettable Tintin in “The Jewels of the Castafiore” by Dominique Catton will have reigned for a total of eighteen seasons once he has reached the end of his 6^e mandate in just under two years: rare corporate longevity in the world of the performing arts. Especially for a helmsman who insists on putting himself first and foremost at the service of his public, and the interests of his institution. “I was thinking of leaving as soon as the new theater reopened at the end of 2021,” confides Jean Liermier, “at the culmination of this reconstruction project which was one of my primary objectives.”

“But we had to check that everything works, and ensure that the public follows,” he quickly understood, like a good after-sales service agent. “Today, the theater is doing great, it is healthy, it has more than 5,800 subscribers and members, and the time is therefore ideal for a new transition, as fair as possible.” On a personal level, Jean Liermier has “always considered himself a hare”, he prefers to scamper “before he runs out of steam”, as long as he is “in shape”, at the age of 54.

“I know absolutely nothing about my professional future,” he continues, “and I am therefore not leaving for career reasons.” By rereading the cover letter that he sent to the Fondation du Théâtre de Carouge-Atelier de Genève in 2007, he simply notes that the four axes of his project, concerning in particular the infrastructure, the identity and the influence of the establishment, were brought to fruition with flying colors. “In 2026, my management will have reached the age of 18, it is the age of majority, the organic time of departure. The institution does not belong to me, I am stepping aside, leaving it in the best possible condition in the hands of my successors.”

In the press release published this Tuesday, the foundation board “warmly thanks the immense work accomplished by Mr. Jean Liermier”, whose “enthusiasm, human qualities and skills, both artistic and managerial”, it salutes. He intends, “in due course, to show him all his gratitude”. We can already be certain that its teams, its audiences as well as the cultural actors as a whole will move in the same direction, as one man.

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Katia Berger has been a journalist in the cultural section since 2012. She covers news in the performing arts, particularly through theater or dance reviews, but also sometimes deals with photography, visual arts or literature.More info

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