Cate Blanchett rebukes National Theatre audience for filming her show during curtain call

From the Newshound archive · first published 22 September 2026.

Cate Blanchett stopped to confront her audience after a performance of 'Electra/Persona' at the National Theatre, pleading with anyone who had filmed the show to stop. The two-time Oscar winner told the crowd there are "few places on this planet where we can simply be together and be present." She warned that filming spoils the experience for future audiences, and her remarks were met with applause.

An Instagram user who attended clarified that Blanchett noticed someone recording during an interval, not the performance itself, and gestured them to stop before repeating the message at curtain call.

Blanchett joins Cynthia Erivo, who halted her West End 'Dracula' performance after spotting an audience member filming, in a growing list of stars confronting phone use in theatres.

'If you're only going so you can put it on Instagram then don't bother — you're not wanted,' one audience member wrote online, backing Blanchett's stand.