US EditionUK’s Royal Ballet and Opera Cancels 2026 Israel Show After Protest
TEL AVIV, ISRAEL, AUG 4 – The Royal Ballet and Opera canceled its 2026 production in Tel Aviv after 182 staff called for a boycott of Israeli cultural institutions amid concerns over Gaza conflict casualties.
- The Royal Opera House confirmed that Beard told staff on Monday that Tosca would not go to Israel, cancelling the 2026 Tel Aviv production.
- Amid mounting pressure, 182 staff members of the Royal Ballet and Opera signed an open letter rejecting future performances in Israel, criticizing management’s silence on Gaza's 'genocide'.
- On Monday, the Royal Ballet and Opera cancelled INO’s Tosca three days after receiving the open letter, marking an unprecedented response time at such an institution.
- The cancellation marks a win for the BDS movement, reflecting a shift in UK public opinion with 51% of Britons now believing Israel’s actions in Gaza are unjustified.
- Looking across the sector, British artists, writers and cultural workers have mobilised to pressure institutions following 'genocide in Gaza,' amid a broader wave of action in the UK cultural sector.
16 Articles
16 Articles
UK’s Royal Opera pulls production in Israel over Gaza genocide
The Royal Ballet and Opera has scrapped plans to perform Tosca at the Israeli Opera in Tel Aviv next year following staff opposition. Almost 200 staff members had signed a petition calling on the organisation to cancel current and future productions, and boycott institutions that support a state "engaged in the mass killing of civilians" in Gaza. The decision to pull the production was first reported by the campaign group Artists for Palestine U…
The Royal Opera House Cancelled One Israeli Show. Staff Demand It Axe Them All
The Royal Ballet and Opera (RBO) has cancelled a production at the Israeli National Opera (INO) after 182 staff signed an open letter demanding that the organisation not collaborate with Israeli cultural institutions during the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Though hailed as a “win” by concerned staff, they point out that RBO management has ignored the letter’s actual demands, including that the organisation refuse to stage work in Israel. Giacomo Pu…
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