Director of Theater Casino calls it a day after eleven years in this role

The director of the Theater Casino Zug, Samuel Steinemann, has decided to call it a day after nearly 11 years to take on the role of managing director at the Künstlerhaus Boswil in the neighbouring canton of Argovia.

Steinemann will take on his new responsibilities in November of this year, though the events organised by the Zug Theatre and Music Society (TMGZ) planned to take place at the Theater Casino until the end of 2020/21 season will still very much bear his mark.

Speaking in his role as chairman of the TMGZ, Johannes Stöckli praised Steinemann for all his had done over the past decade, which had been one faced with a number of challenges. “We regret his departure very much but rejoice with him as he goes on to take on this great new challenge,” he said. “Naturally we also see here a great opportunity for a further strong chapter for Zug’s largest house of culture,” he continued, as he added that the search for a successor had already begun.

Speaking of his time at the Theater Casino, Steinemann looked back at the time when the building was extensively renovated yet when cultural events continued at some 14 different locations in the city. In particular, he recalled the evening of the reopening. “However, after 11 years, I feel the time has come for a change and I am already looking forward to this new challenge,” he said, taking this opportunity, too, to express his thanks to the TMGZ, all its supporters and the public of Zug for the trust they had all placed in him over the years. “So much was only possible through the support of the whole team,” he said, as he recalled events such as the “Casino on Fire” and “Todo Cuba”, which were very well received by the public.

Indeed, during his time as director Steinemann had always been able to lure great musicians to perform here, not least the Russian pianist and conductor Mikhail Pletnev, Cuban singer Omara Portuondo, English violinist Nigel Kennedy as well as jazz artists Brad Mehldau and Uehara Hiromi. What is more, he showed great imagination and creativity with the pedalo, raft and carousel concerts he organised on Lake Zug, in addition to his attracting some 6,000 young people to the Casino for an event specially targeted at them. Choir performances were not forgotten, either, such as the first ever Zug Choir Night held last year, not to mention memorable occasions when the Zug Sinfonietta performed, all these in addition to the Young Dance Festival, the Zug Accordion Festival and events put on by the Turkish Cultural Association of Zug.

This article is based on one by Andrea Muff.