Cate Blanchett addressed an audience at London’s National Theatre, requesting that they stop filming during the production of Electra/Persona. The intervention occurred during the curtain call at the Lyttelton Theatre.
Blanchett emphasized the rarity of the theatrical environment as a shared, undistracted space. “There are few places on this planet where we can simply be together, and be present,” she said, according to reports of the exchange. The actress reportedly expressed that filming the performance not only disrupts the live environment but risks spoiling the experience for those seeing the production later in its run.
The High-Stakes Format of Electra/Persona
The production, directed by Benedict Andrews, is a high-concept fusion of Sophocles’ Electra and Ingmar Bergman’s 1966 film Persona. The need for audience focus is heightened by the show’s unique “coin-toss” format. At the start of every performance, a live toss determines whether Blanchett or her co-star Nina Hoss will play the lead roles of Electra/Elisabeth or Clytemnestra/Alma. This nightly uncertainty requires a high level of concentration from both the performers and the audience.
Blanchett’s plea follows several recent instances of London stage actors addressing theater etiquette. Andrew Scott previously paused a soliloquy in Hamlet to address an audience member using a laptop, and Rosamund Pike has also spoken out against the increasing frequency of digital distractions in West End and subsidized theater spaces. The National Theatre maintains a policy against filming and photography during performances to protect the intellectual property of the production and the focus of the cast.
Electra/Persona is scheduled to continue its run at the National Theatre through October 10, 2026.
