Particle.news

Download on the App Store

Royal Ballet and Opera Cancels Tel Aviv Tosca Run and Launches Neutrality Review

A staff open letter denouncing ties with the Israeli National Opera has led the company to scrap its planned 2026 Tosca run in Tel Aviv.

Overview

  • An open letter signed by 182 dancers, singers, musicians and staff criticised the company’s hiring of its Turandot production to the Israeli National Opera as a non-neutral act.
  • The July 19 protest by performer Daniel Perry, who raised a Palestinian flag at a curtain call, intensified calls for cancellation and prompted a disciplinary probe.
  • CEO Alex Beard acknowledged the staff’s views, highlighted past support for Ukraine and initiated an internal review of political neutrality protocols.
  • Artists for Palestine hailed the cancellation as a breakthrough for institutional accountability.
  • The company has not clarified whether future pro-Palestine or pro-Ukraine expressions on stage will be permitted under revised neutrality rules.