Jeremy Strong and Michael Imperioli's An Enemy Of The People performance interrupted by climate protesters

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.