Glyndebourne’ s June 15 performance of “Dialogues des Carmélites” was interrupted by a group of protestors within the theater.

The company took to social media to issue a statement apologizing for the disruption.

“We are very sorry to everyone whose visit to Glyndebourne was affected by the protest action today [Thursday 15 June]. Our highest priority was the safety and security of everyone on site and we would like to thank our staff and performers, whose calm and professional response kept everyone safe and disruption to a minimum,” the company posted on its Instagram account. “At approximately 5:31 p.m., today’s performance of Poulenc’s ‘Dialogues des Carmélites’ was disrupted by three protestors who let off a confetti bomb, blew an air horn and started shouting. The stage was immediately cleared and within less than a minute ushers had peacefully escorted the protesters from the theatre.

“The audience remained inside the theatre and were provided with regular updates and, following a 21 minute delay, the opera restarted at approximately 5:52 p.m.We have formally reported the incident to the police but the police were not on site and no arrests were made.”

Per The Guardian, protestors were arrested during slow marches through London after new legislation provided police officers with greater power to prevent disruption.

Just Stop Oil is an environmental activist group in the United Kingdom that utilizes civil resistance and direct action to push for the British government to halt new fossil fuel licensing and production. The group was founded in early 2022 and started protests in April 2022.

Performances of “Dialogues des Carmélites” will resume on June 21, 2023 with the final one set for June 29, 2023.