Royal Opera House Cancels Israel Performance over Gaza Concerns

The UK’s Royal Opera House has cancelled a planned 2026 staging of Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca at the Israeli Opera in Tel Aviv, after staff refused to perform there. The House has also urged a boycott of institutions they say support “a state responsible for the mass killing of civilians in Gaza.”

Royal Opera House and Royal Ballet chief executive Alex Beard told staff on Friday: “We have decided that our new production of Tosca will not travel to Israel.” Beard confirmed the decision to The Guardian on Monday, saying: “I am appalled by the crisis in Gaza and recognise the profound emotional impact it is having on our community and wider society. On this issue, we acknowledge and respect the wide range of views held by our staff, artists and audiences.”

The move followed an open letter signed by 182 dancers, singers, musicians and staff from the artistic, technical and administrative departments of the Royal Opera House and Royal Ballet. It criticised management for declining to speak out against what the signatories described as “Israel’s genocidal actions in Gaza.” The letter declared they would refuse to take part in “any current or future performances in Israel” and urged the Opera House not to work with “institutions that legitimise and financially support a state involved in the mass killing of civilians.”

The signatories argued that, as a globally recognised organisation able to shape public discourse and influence cultural values, the Royal Opera House had a duty to act ethically. “We cannot present ourselves as defenders of human dignity and artistic excellence while materially supporting a regime committing genocide,” the letter read.

According to The Guardian, most signatories chose to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals.

Israeli Response

Israeli Opera artistic director Zach Granit and music director Dan Ettinger are among nearly 2,400 Israeli artists, musicians and cultural figures who have recently signed petitions calling for an immediate end to Israel’s military operations in Gaza and the lifting of the humanitarian blockade.

On Monday evening, a spokesperson for the Israeli Opera told Haaretz the company “deeply regrets the decision by the Royal Opera House.” The summer 2026 performances will be replaced with “an excellent alternative production of Tosca,” conducted by Ettinger and featuring leading international soloists, to close the opera house’s 40th season.

The spokesperson added that the Israeli Opera would “continue a productive dialogue with the Royal Opera House in the hope of welcoming its performances back to Israel before long.”

On-stage Protest

The letter from Royal Opera House and Royal Ballet staff also referred to an incident last week: during the curtain call on the closing night of Il trovatore, cast member Danny Perry unfurled a large Palestinian flag on stage and repeatedly refused to take it down.

Footage shows Perry holding the flag throughout the curtain call, with some audience members applauding and others booing. While the Royal Opera House later described the “unauthorised” protest as “entirely inappropriate,” the letter’s signatories praised it as “an act of courage and moral clarity on our own stage.”

They accused director Oliver Mears of attempting to snatch the flag from Perry and called for him to be “held accountable for his public act of aggression.” In a video posted on social media, Perry said the protest was intended to “make this bigger than myself,” given the theatre world’s “near-silence” on Gaza. Perry added he “couldn’t care less” if he never worked at the Opera House again, claiming such an outcome had been threatened by Mears.

Beard also addressed the incident, telling The Guardian: “The events during the curtain call on 19 July were unprecedented. We have carefully reviewed our internal protocols. We always seek to act with integrity and compassion. We want our stage to remain a space for shared cultural appreciation, free of individual political statements.”