The biggest giveaway of a toxic work environment is the high turnover rate! This ranges from collaborators to dancers to marketing to production crew members. Any long standing member is part of the problem.
The director is verbally and emotionally abusive who plays mind games with his staff where one person will always "be in the dog house" and this can rotate among the staff. He also uses isolation techniques to make that staff in the dog house feel like they have no one to confide in and be ostracised by the rest of the company - and talking to the one in the dog house is frown upon. There is no HR and the company is so small - there is no recourse.
The hires are often young, vulnerable fresh graduates who are dying for a job in the arts. They therefore put up with the toxic boss and not have the language nor the social capital/power to speak out even after they have left.
The company is also involved in financial fraud and other unethical practices.