Mr. Fehrle, how are you?
Thomas Fehrle: Personally I am well.

And how are you as a managing director? After more than two years of corona crisis, of changes, postponements and cancellations, one is tempted to ask if you have learned juggling in the meantime?
(Laughs.) No, but magic! We succeeded in putting on a new RING during this time, which was truly difficult for everyone. We managed to put on ELEKTRA, albeit in a concert version, with more than one hundred musicians on stage. Our performances were never reduced, but played with a full cast. We have the largest theatre in this city, and we feel obliged to play with full forces.

And your colleagues were always behind you? Opera performances are not produced by working from home.
I am very proud of our staff. Everyone gave it their all. Of course people have different levels of fearfulness. But everyone definitely wanted us to rehearse and perform, and so there was great solidarity among the staff. The interfaces did a yeoman’s job: the artistic production staff, the chorus office, the orchestra office, they all managed thousands of PCR tests, organized read-outs, then found substitutes for all those testing positive. Just imagine the enormous effort this took. Nor was audience management an easy task. An opera house is designed for rehearsals – not for corona testing. But we hope that the whole sorry saga will be over soon.

The beginning of your next season is quite special: you are renovating the orchestra pit.
That’s another thing we have plenty of practice at. Last year we had the first renovation phase lasting twelve weeks, and at the beginning of the season we played on our parking deck. For this coming season, 14 weeks of building are planned, so we will once again start differently. Incidentally, we are absolutely on schedule, both in terms of time and money.

That’s impressive!
Thanks. The planners would have preferred to do everything at once. But that would have meant moving out of the theatre for a full season. And who wants that? Who knows what would have happened then!

Instead, you are playing all over the city, visiting different venues in Berlin. Sounds like fun, doesn’t it?
Absolutely! And we will perform in Oman, two performances of HÄNSEL UND GRETEL. In Berlin, we’ll appear at the Philharmonie, the Konzerthaus, the Tempodrom, the Haus der Festspiele, and of course at our Tischlerei. In early November, we return to our home. The greatest challenge after corona will be to entice all the audience members back. We went through this once before, when we had the water damage. Remember Christmas 2017, when all the sprinklers went off. After that we were working at reduced capacity. 2019 went well, and then came 2020, the pandemic.

Do you have a work mobile phone?
Yes, why?

Is it turned on during the summer break?
Yes, and during the first week it rings a lot. Then it stops.

The construction sites don’t give you any headaches?
No. I really must praise the contractors here for once. And especially the department responsible in the Senate, Berlin’s municipal administration. It all works excellently.

Why are you even renovating the orchestra pit?
The risers, and the machinery used to raise and lower them, date back to when the theatre was built. Without the risers, we cannot perform, so this renovation is absolutely necessary.

What are your next plans?
The Ladies’ Wing has to be completely renovated, i.e. the part of the building where the female artists have their dressing rooms. Electrical wiring, water pipes, windows, they all have to be redone; then there are other projects we are implementing over several years, during normal artistic operations and the summer breaks. This summer we want to start preparing the parking deck, so that we can place containers there, where the Ladies’ Wing facilities will temporarily be housed so that we can ensure seamless artistic operations.

How long will that take?
The entire project is supposed to be completed by 2027. Who knows if I’ll live to see that.

Sometimes you sound like a cross between a caretaker and a therapist.
(Laughs.) Well spotted. I started working at the Deutsche Oper Berlin in 2011. And we have been renovating ever since. Starting in 2012, the upper machinery was overhauled; it didn’t quite get finished, but at least we could perform. As an overall complex, the Deutsche Oper is an old building, and unfortunately necessary investments were deferred in the past. If we didn’t carry out continuous maintenance, we would not only be stupid – we would also be irresponsible with the values we have been entrusted with. Therefore, I am quite glad when I hear building noises here or there during the day – it means that investments are being made.

One last question: is there a venue you are particularly looking forward to?
Looking forward may be overstating the case, but the Haus der Berliner Festspiele is certainly the closest to home, due to its modern architecture. But quite honestly – you know how it is when you are renovating and have to move out of your home because of it – I think we will all be very glad when we’re back home again.