Cate Blanchett has asked audiences at London’s National Theatre to stop filming during performances, saying theatre should remain a place where people can be present together.
Blanchett made the remarks from the stage of the Lyttelton Theatre following the curtain call for Electra/Persona, the new production written and directed by Benedict Andrews.
Still wearing her stage costume, Blanchett addressed the audience calmly after the performance, saying, “There are few places on this planet where we can simply be together and be present. I understand you like filming the curtain call – and it is kind of flattering in a way – but for anyone who is filming the show, please don’t, because it spoils it for the next group of people who come in and are present with us. So thank you very much.”
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The comments were met with an enthusiastic response from the National Theatre audience and have since been widely shared on social media.
Electra/Persona combines Sophocles’ tragedy Electra with Ingmar Bergman’s Persona.
Blanchett stars opposite Nina Hoss, with the pair sharing the roles of Electra/Elisabeth and Clytemnestra/Alma. A coin toss determines which roles they perform on each night.
The National Theatre describes the production as “a thrilling production [that] fuses ancient myth and modern psychology in a powerful exploration of identity, and the fragile line between who we are and who we play.”
The play runs at the Lyttelton Theatre through October 10 and also features Ella Lily Hyland.
