Sydney Theatre Cancels Flagship Performance, Apologises for Onstage Pro-Palestine Protest

Palestine supporters rally outside the Sydney Opera House in Sydney, Australia, on Oct. 9, 2023. Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images

The Sydney Theatre Company (STC) has abruptly cancelled its flagship performance just hours after issuing a public apology for a pro-Palestine protest on stage.

This comes after STC’s longstanding foundation board member, Judi Hausmann, resigned following the protest on Nov. 25, when three actors donned the Palestinian keffiyeh at the end of the company’s opening night production of Chekhov’s The Seagull.

The three actors—Harry Greenwood, Mabel Li, and Megan Wilding—did not make a statement after the gesture.

In a Nov. 29 statement, the STC said it was “deeply sorry” for the incident, and that the right to free speech should not supercede its responsibility to “create safe workplaces and theatres.”

“We believe that it was not the intent of the actors involved to cause any harm or offence. We have emphasised to our performers that they are free to express their opinions and views on their own platforms,” the company said.

“We understand the actions at the curtain call and our immediate response has hurt many in our community. For this, we are deeply sorry.”

The STC’s flagship production of Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull was scheduled to perform on the evening of Nov. 29, but was cancelled less than an hour before the curtain was due to rise.

Audience members were in their seats at the Roslyn Packer Theatre when they were notified of the show’s cancellation by email, reported The Australian.

Board Member Who Resigned Felt Pressure from Local Jewish Community

On Nov. 28, Ms. Hausmann wrote a letter to board members’ Gretel Packer, Ann Johnson, and Danielle Heidbrink and said she faced pressure from the local Jewish community to distance herself from the STC.

“As we have discussed in the past couple of days I am stunned and devastated by the STC’s woefully inadequate response to the incident on Saturday night,” Ms. Hausmann wrote, reported The Sydney Morning Herald.

“What hurts most is that I love the STC and all of the people I’ve worked alongside, especially the three of you. But as I’ve told you all I need allyship as well as friendship at a time when my Jewish community is under serious threat and I’m beyond disappointed that you didn’t feel able to speak up.”

In the letter, Ms. Hausmann also urged STC executives for a “one-night pause” of performance, and to give time to “craft a resolution that would be acceptable to all parties.”

“It was a quiet Monday night where you had the chance to stand up and be counted, without losing much in terms of box ­office,” she wrote.

Australian soprano Tania de Jong wrote to the STC and described the protest as an “appalling and arrogant” stunt that threatened the entire arts sector.

Additionally, more than 1,000 patrons wrote to the STC board, demanding an explanation for the political stunt.

“The impact of such a partisan political action on STC’s stage extends beyond members of the audience who may have connections to the current Israel-Hamas conflict ... it may well also alienate theatregoers with no connections to the situation but who don’t consider it appropriate for cultural events to be politicised,” the patrons wrote in their petition.

Meanwhile, there has been support for the actors, with NSW Greens MP Jenny Leong saying on X (formerly Twitter): “Imagine apologising for ‘any distress caused’ as a result of three actors wearing a scarf during the encore of a performance.”

The Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance said it would support any members disciplined by their employer for expressing their views.

“MEAA respects the rights of members to publicly express their views on this issue, and will support any members who are subject to disciplinary action for simply engaging in freedom of expression,” acting chief executive Adam Portelli said.

This comes after a tentative four-day ceasefire was struck between Israel and Palestine.