UK’s Royal Ballet and Opera cancels 2026 Israel show after staff protest on Gaza stance

The UK's Royal Ballet and Opera (RBO) has cancelled its 2026 production of Puccini’s Tosca in Tel Aviv after almost 200 staff condemned the UK company’s “hypocrisy” on the war in Gaza, accusing it of aligning with “a government currently engaged in crimes against humanity”.

In an internal message to staff, according to The Guardian, RBO chief executive Sir Alex Beard said: “We have made the decision that our new production of Tosca will not be going to Israel.”

Beard acknowledged an open letter, signed by 182 members of staff, including dancers, musicians, singers, and backstage crew, that was sent to him and the board last Friday.

“We reject any current or future performances in Israel,” the signatories wrote. They also condemned “the organisation’s silence on Israel’s genocidal conduct, which has killed over 60,000 Palestinians.”

The letter strongly criticised the RBO’s recent decision to allow its production of Turandot to be staged at the Israeli Opera.

“The decision cannot be viewed as neutral,” the staff wrote. “It is a deliberate alignment, materially and symbolically, with a government currently engaged in crimes against humanity.”

They further claimed that the Israeli Opera “routinely offers free tickets to soldiers of the Israel Defence Forces.”

“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 letter also referenced an incident last month when performer Daniel Perry unfurled a Palestinian flag during the curtain call of Il trovatore at the Royal Opera House.

“An act of courage and moral clarity on our very stage,” the letter said of Perry’s action, in which he appeared dressed as a horned demon holding the flag before a live audience.

Video footage showed RBO's Director of Opera, Oliver Mears, attempting to seize the flag from Perry, leading to a brief tussle. The protest occurred in front of the applauding crowd.

Signatories criticised Mears for attempting to intervene.

“We witnessed [him] attempting to forcibly snatch the flag from the performer, displaying visible anger and aggression in front of the entire audience,” they said.

Perry later alleged that Mears told him he would “never work for the Opera House ever again.”

The letter called for Mears “to be held accountable for his public display of aggression,” saying the act “sent a clear message that any visible solidarity with Palestine would be met with hostility.”

The letter also noted the RBO’s swift response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and urged the organisation to show the same clarity in the face of mass civilian casualties in Gaza.

Following the announcement, references to the Royal Opera House and its Tosca production have been removed from the Israeli Opera’s website.