Jeremy Strong and Michael Imperioli’s An Enemy Of The People performance interrupted by climate protesters
Activists interrupted the Jeremy Strong and Michael Imperioli-led play last night, shouting things like "no theater on a dead planet."
Aux News An Enemy of the People
In an event that feels like it could have been ripped straight out of an unused script from Succession, a group of activists interrupted Jeremy Strong’s Broadway play An Enemy Of The People last night to protest the government’s inaction concerning the climate crisis. Shouting things like “no theater on a dead planet,” the protesters cleverly staged their action during a scene in the play where Strong and his co-star, Michael Imperioli, act out a town hall meeting with the house lights in the show’s NYC theater already up to increase audience immersion (via Deadline).
In what one audience member said initially seemed like an intentional part of the show, approximately six activists stood up to reveal shirts bearing the logo of Extinction Rebellion NYC, the group responsible for the action, before walking down the aisles to the stage area. “We’re not protesting the event itself; we are not protesting theater; we are not protesting the emissions that brought spectators to get here. That’s not the point,” said one participant, Lydia Woolley (via an Extinction Rebellion press release). “We are here because we have to disrupt this public event as our last resort to draw public attention to the climate emergency we are facing today.”
“The oceans are rising and will swallow this entire theater,” said another protester, who identified himself as a “theater artist” while Imperioli, seemingly fully in character, yelled, “You need to leave. You’re interrupting.” (For what it’s worth, another audience member in attendance wrote on Twitter/X that Strong was “the only cast member calling to let the protesters speak while everyone else freaked out.”)
Imperioli did address his in-character response to the interruption after the performance, writing on Instagram: “tonight was wild….no hard feelings extinction rebellion crew. michael is on your side but mayor stockmann (Imperioli’s character) is not. much love. m.” Imperioli reiterated his stance in the comments, writing, “that was NOT michael. that was mayor stockmann.”
The protesters were eventually ushered out and the show went on. No word on whether or not charges have been filed yet, but it should be noted that part of the group’s motivation was to call attention to “peaceful protestors in Washington D.C. and Atlanta [who] have been given very serious sentences and charges, punishing nonviolent and constitutionally guaranteed political expression.” (Yes, one of these actions was a paint-on-art protest.)
As of this writing, neither Strong nor any of the play’s official accounts have addressed the interruption. This story has been updated to include comments from Michael Imperioli.
23 Comments
For what it’s worth, another audience member in attendance wrote on Twitter/X that Strong was “the only cast member calling to let the protesters speak while everyone else freaked out.”Such a Kendall thing to do.
Yo I uh totally agree with you guys, you guys are cool, you guys are cool, I’m doin’ my part too man, protecting the planet, that’s what it’s all about…right on guys. Keep uh fighting the good fight. You’re cool, I like you. Don’t listen to these suits, all these…they don’t know things dude, they don’t know how it is, how it really is.
I, uh, know I’m one of the guys fucking the planet, but like fuck those other guys fucking the planet, you know? The least I could do is some sort of global reach-around, right? [turns to Jess] Right? Get on that.
It’s extraordinarily arrogant to impose on hundreds of people and effectively tell them that what you have to say is more important than what they have chosen to do with their time.That’s true even when the cause is important. There are scores of causes that are important at any given time, and lots of people who believe (often not unreasonably) that the causes they’re supporting are crucial. Global warming, Gaza, Ukraine, abortion rights, LGBT rights — all these causes, and more, have legitimate claims to being crises requiring urgent attention. You still don’t get to decide that hundreds of unwilling people have to listen to your particular perspective on these issues, at the moment you choose.
“We’re not protesting the event itself; we are not protesting theater; we are not protesting the emissions that brought spectators to get here. That’s not the point,”It’s kind of like a joke: if you have to explain it that much…it’s not a good joke. If you have to explain it that much, it’s not a good protest.I think back to the lunch counter sit-ins in Nashville in the 1960s for civil rights. Those made sense. They *were* protesting the restaurant. They *were* protesting the owners and the white people who were allowed to eat there. They *were* protesting the very thing they were protesting at. Interrupting someone’s play—that is not even about climate change?—to protest climate change…that doesn’t make sense.I’m all for protesting and I’m all for causing disruption. But this was a weird choice.
Yeah, I feel like it shouldn’t be controversial to say that not all civil disobedience is effective civil disobedience. You don’t get a fucking medal or plaudit for bitching ineffectively, and you aren’t doing anything of particular note other than convincing yourself that you did something that night.
Interrupting someone’s play—that is not even about climate change?—to protest climate change…that doesn’t make senseI feel that there is a connection between the story of the play and our current reaction to the threats of climate change. The public in the play don’t want to face up to an environmental threat that will affect their comfortable lives, which is a good metaphor for what it happening in the world today. That still leaves their protest as largely ineffective, though, and a shitty thing to do to the cast and audience.
and then their counterpoint will be like, fuck you Mona Lisa, eat chili!
“The oceans are rising and will swallow this entire theater” Circle in the Square Theater is 17 meters above seal level. Even the most dire predictions don’t see sea levels rising that much in the next 1000 years.
Let’s be real, these are the people that think “we can stop climate change”. Uh no we can’t. Climate change is a naturally occurring phenomenon all we as a species have done is dramatically accelerated that phenomenon.
Ah yes New York theater goers – the demographic most likely to not have heard about or be concerned about man made climate change. Of course.
It’s just weird how eco-activists hate art all of a sudden.At least they didn’t throw soup on anybody,And WTF’s their deal with soup anyway?
reminds me of the very early BLM tactic of disrupting “white brunch restaurants”
Can these people go protest at like a fucking NASCAR race or Hummer convention or congressional session or something? This is such toothless, cowardly bullshit.
Right? Too simple and immature of me, but I can’t avoid wishing for people in the audience, who pay significantly for their tickets and look forward to a pleasant experience, to grab these guys and remove them from the theater before security can get to them.
They protest at NASCAR and they’ll get shot by some redneck. Performative wokeness like this never takes real risks.
I mean, I guess it got press coverage and all, but this seems like a terrible fucking call. So many other options.
Imperioli commented on this last night on his Instagram saying he was on their side but his character was not.
Has anyone ever been convinced by these types of radical extinction crazies? You fuck up my evening out or block the road to my work and I’m not exactly gonna agree with you more ya know.
After a long day of protesting, Keith The Protester hailed a cab and went home. Fin.
i mean, i know Jeremy Strong is full of hot air, but surely there are better targets…