UK’s Royal Ballet and Opera cancels 2026 production in Israel after staff’s open letter
The UK’s Royal Ballet and Opera (RBO) has cancelled a scheduled 2026 production run at the Israeli Opera in Tel Aviv after 182 members signed an open letter criticising the organisation’s stance on Gaza.
The internal announcement of the cancellation was made by the organisation’s chief, Alex Beard, The Guardian reported.
Beard acknowledged the open letter and told staff, “We have made the decision that our new production of Tosca will not be going to Israel.”
The open letter was sent to Beard and the RBO board on Friday and, according to the publication, was signed by 182 members of the organisation. That includes dancers, singers, musicians and staff in other departments. Forty signatories signed with their own names while the others signed anonymously.
The members said they were deeply concerned about “recent actions and decisions taken by the RBO in the context of the ongoing genocide in Gaza”.
“The decision cannot be viewed as neutral,” they said of the production of Turandot at the Israeli Opera. “It is a deliberate alignment, materially and symbolically, with a government currently engaged in crimes against humanity.”
The open letter noted that the Israeli Opera offers free tickets to IDF soldiers “in recognition of their work”. “The RBO is clearly making a strong political statement by allowing its production and intellectual property to be presented in a space that openly rewards and legitimises the very forces responsible for the daily killings of civilians in Gaza.”
The members said they rejected “any current or future performances in Israel” and demanded the organisation “withholds our productions from institutions that legitimise and economically support a state engaged in the mass killing of civilians”.
They also expressed solidarity with Daniel Perry, the performer who hoisted the Palestinian flag during a performance on July 19. RBO Director of Opera Oliver Mears snatched the flag from him mid-performance, something the members described as “extremely poor judgment”.
The letter called for Mears to be held accountable for his “public display of aggression” and said his actions, “far from being a neutral administrative intervention, was itself a loud political statement. It sent a clear message that any visible solidarity with Palestine would be met with hostility”.
“We organised Concerts for Ukraine, we played the Ukrainian national anthem before performances, and we publicly displayed the Ukrainian flag as a gesture of solidarity with its people. We understood then that silence was unacceptable. Why is it different now? … The double standard is deafening.”
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