The Cincinnati Ballet is responding to claims made by pro-Palestinian demonstrators who staged a protest during a Wednesday performance of The Wizard of Oz at Music Hall.
According to a press release from one of the protesters, Mike Madanat, fourteen pro-Palestinian activists disrupted a production of The Wizard of Oz by dropping a “FREE PALESTINE” banner from a balcony at Music Hall during the show’s intermission. The release also said demonstrators handed out pamphlets before the show, which detailed “information about the genocide of the Palestinian people,” according to the release.
A video of the disruptions was shared to Instagram from two accounts: Midwest Direct Action 4 Pali and Cincinnati Palestine Solidarity Coalition. Ushers for the ballet can be seen asking demonstrators to stop distributing pamphlets.
A spokesperson for the Cincinnati Ballet told CityBeat the demonstration did not impact the performance.
“The safety and well-being of our patrons, staff, and artists is our top priority,” a ballet spokesperson said. “On Wednesday evening, a small group of individuals attempted to distribute unauthorized materials and display banners during our performance of The Wizard of Oz at Music Hall. While these actions did not interrupt the performance, they were promptly addressed by Cincinnati Ballet and Cincinnati Arts Association (CAA) staff to ensure that the focus remained on the artistry and experience of live theater.”
Why protest the ballet?
Cincinnati Palestine Solidarity Coalition (CPSC) has actively carried out pro-Palestinian demonstrations around Cincinnati since Israel launched a full-scale invasion of Gaza following Hamas’ deadly Oct. 7 terror attacks, where upwards of 1,200 Israelis were killed and roughly 250 were taken hostage. Since the attack, Palestinian health authorities estimate Israel’s military effort in Gaza has killed more than 46,600 people, with more than half being women, children or older people.
Members of CPSC have had a vocal presence in Cincinnati City Council meetings, pushing for council members to pass unequivocal condemnations of Israel’s efforts in Gaza, but their reason for protesting the Cincinnati Ballet stems from a 2023 protest involving local high school students.
“The Cincinnati Ballet has threatened to pull $400,000 of funding from the School for Creative and Performing Arts (SCPA) after students staged a walkout in December of 2023 in solidarity with the Palestinian people,” Madanat’s press release reads. Madanat previously published an advice column for CityBeat, which has not been updated since April 2024.
This allegation is echoed, though slightly differently, in the caption for the video CPSC posted from the Music Hall protest. The caption claims the ballet did in fact pull funding from SCPA.
“The Cincinnati Ballet is yet another zionist entity who pulled funding from the school for creative & performing arts because they did a walk out for Palestine,” the video’s caption reads.
A spokesperson for the ballet told CityBeat the accusations about pulling funding from SCPA are “patently false,” and that the ballet was never funding the arts school in the first place.
“The group claiming responsibility for the disruption alleged Cincinnati Ballet withheld funding from the School for the Creative and Performing Arts (SCPA). This is patently false; Cincinnati Ballet is not a funder of other organizations,” a ballet spokesperson said.
SCPA is not mentioned in Cincinnati Ballet’s 2022-2024 annual report, published on their website.
Madanat did not provide CityBeat with proof of the alleged $400,000 funding pull by the time this story was published, nor did he respond to CityBeat‘s request for comment on the Cincinnati Ballet’s statement about funding other organizations.
Growing tensions
CPSC’s most recent demonstration comes after a bizarre doubling-down from President Donald Trump on the future of Gaza. In a Feb. 4 joint press event with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump said the U.S. would “take” Gaza, relocating the remaining Palestinians to redevelop the enclave into the “Riviera of the Middle East.”
Then, on Wednesday, Trump posted a video to Instagram and Truth Social so shockingly riddled with absurd symbolism, even MAGA Republicans were telling him to take it down.
“I’m a trump supporter and what the fuck is this….” reads just one of 63,000 comments on the Instagram post.
“I hate this. I love our president, but this is horrible,” reads a comment on Trump’s own Truth Social platform.
The video, which remains on Trump’s social pages, is an apparent AI rendering of “Trump Gaza,” complete with a giant golden Trump statue, Elon Musk dancing under falling cash, a poolside (and shirtless) Trump sipping cocktails with Netanyahu, bearded belly dancers, a child with a golden Trump head balloon, a gift shop with hundreds of golden Trump statues and more.
The video was posted just one day before “intensive discussions” between Israel and Hamas in Cairo, according to AP, representing a critical moment as negotiations transition from phase one to phase two of the current ceasefire deal.
Watch the “Trump Gaza” video below:
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This article appears in Feb 19 – Mar 4, 2025.