Two people have been arrested after protesters from Just Stop Oil disrupted a performance of The Tempest, starring Sigourney Weaver in London’s West End.
A man and a woman from the environmental campaign group climbed on to the stage at Theatre Royal Drury Lane on Monday evening.
They launched a confetti canon and a voice called out: “We’ll have to stop the show, ladies and gents, sorry.”
Hollywood actress Weaver, who had been sitting in a chair on stage, was escorted away by a member of the theatre’s staff.
On Tuesday, police said a 42-year-old woman and a 60-year-old man had been arrested.
The Metropolitan Police said the pair were being held in custody on suspicion of aggravated trespass.
Just Stop Oil: What is it and what are its goals?A video shared by Just Stop Oil showed the protesters being met with boos from the audience – but also a few cheers – before they were then guided off stage after less than a minute.
Alien star Weaver and another actor had been mid-scene when they were interrupted.
The protesters had been holding an orange banner reading “Over 1.5 degrees is a global shipwreck”.
It was a nod to the plot of Shakespeare’s Tempest, which features a ship sinking.
In an online statement, Just Stop Oil said the sign was a reference to a recent finding that annual global temperature rose above the internationally agreed 1.5C target for the first time in 2024.
In recent years, Just Stop Oil has targeted a number of other events and venues including the Chelsea Flower Show, the Proms, Stonehenge and the National Gallery.
Earlier this month, two women have been charged after they were accused of spray-painting over naturalist Charles Darwin’s grave inside Westminster Abbey.
