The Teatro alla Scala’s General Director and ballet dancers have called for a ceasefire.

The Associated Press is reporting that before a performance of “Madina” on March 9, 2024, La Scala’s principal dancer Roberto Bolle, General Director Dominique Meyer, and other members of the dance company, orchestra and stage crew faced the audience as the curtain rose. It revealed a banner that said “Cessate il Fuoco.”

The statement regarding the war in Gaza, received a standing ovation lasting for at least two minutes.

Since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war, more than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, a vast majority of them civilians, including over 12,300 children, 8,400 women, 152 UN staff members, and 70 journalists. On Oct. 7 when the war began following a terrorist attack on Israel by Hamas, 1,139 Israelis and foreign nationals were killed, including 766 civilians and 373 security forces personnel. Hamas also kidnapped 253 people on Oct. 7.

The statement is the latest Italian theater to call for a ceasefire. last month artist of the Teatro San Carlo in Naples also called for a ceasefire following a performance of “Don Giovanni.”

Over the last few years, the Teatro alla Scala has been involved in political statements. In April 2022 it held a peace concert for Ukraine and was among the many western theaters to fire Valery Gergiev after failing to distance himself from Vladimir Putin and the invasion of Ukraine. During the 2022-23 season opening night, the theater was also protested for presenting the Russian opera “Boris Godunov” with Ildar Abdrazakov, who eventually endorsed Putin for reelection.