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In a statement issued after the incident, the Royal Opera House described the protest as “unauthorized” and “wholly inappropriate for a curtain call.”
By Shula Rosen
A cast member at London’s Royal Opera House drew attention Saturday night by unfurling a Palestinian flag during the final curtain call of Verdi’s opera Il Trovatore, bringing a political message into the traditionally apolitical space of the opera house.
The performer, identified as Daniel Perry, held the flag during the onstage bow at the end of the closing performance of Giuseppe Verdi’s opera.
Video circulating on social media shows Perry holding the flag despite efforts by a backstage staff member to remove it. A brief exchange followed before Perry regained control of the flag and remained on stage.
In a statement issued after the incident, the Royal Opera House described the protest as “unauthorized” and “wholly inappropriate for a curtain call.”
The institution confirmed that the matter is under internal review but has not indicated whether disciplinary action will be taken.
Perry, a freelance dancer and graduate of Tring Park School for the Performing Arts, has previously participated in an anti-Israel demonstration.
He reportedly attended a West End performance earlier this year wearing a shirt with a similar message.
In a social media post following the opera incident, he called on artists to engage more openly with political issues.
The protest took place on the final night of Il Trovatore, Verdi’s 19th-century opera, which centers on themes of revenge and identity.
While the production concluded without interruption, reactions in the audience ranged from quiet support to visible discomfort.
This is not the first time anti-Israel demonstrations have entered British cultural venues. In recent months, similar protests have occurred at the New Wimbledon Theatre, where activists disrupted a children’s play, and at the Glastonbury Festival, where artists utilized performances to draw attention to the conflict in Gaza.
Though rare at the Royal Opera House, Saturday’s protest reflects a broader trend of political statements appearing in spaces traditionally viewed as separate from current affairs.
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