Actors in Sydney Theatre Company’s Broadway production donned pink pussy hats at Saturday’s curtain calls.

Unable to join the Women’s March in New York on Saturday because they had two performances, the cast of Sydney Theatre Company’s production of The Present showed their support at the curtain call.

The cast of The Present at Saturday’s curtain call on Broadway. Photo posted on Twitter by @DorganatangTrumpsky

Hundreds of thousands turned out for the Women’s March in cities around the US (and across the world) –  outnumbering those who gathered for Trump’s inauguration in Washington. In a sign of solidarity, the Australian cast, including Cate Blachett and Richard Roxburgh, returned to the stage for their second curtain call at both performances wearing pink pussy hats.

Actor Toby Schmitz tweeted: “Cast wore pussy hats for the curtain. Audience roar was so instant, so defiant and joyful that I’m pitching it as a permanent thing.”

A tweet by @DorangatangTrumpsky shared a photograph of one of the curtain calls saying:  “Cate Blanchett and cast of ‘The Present’ show Broadway solidarity Woman’s March during standing ovation. #Maddow #Lawrence #thelastword”

The actors also showed their support by sharing photographs on social media taken backstage at the Barrymore Theatre between the two performances. Sydney Theatre Company shared a photograph posted by Anna Bamford of the female cast members (plus Roxburgh) on Instagram and Twitter, while Entertainment Weekly also shared a picture on Instagram.

The day before, Blanchett joined crowds outside the theatre, with her daughter Edith and son Ignatius, as part of the Ghostlight Project, which had put out a call for people to gather outside theatres on January 19 at 5.30pm in each time zone across the country “to create a ‘light’ for dark times ahead, and to make, or renew, a pledge to stand for and protect the values of inclusion, participation and compassion for everyone regardless of race, class, religion, country of origin, immigration status, (dis)ability, age, gender identity, or sexual orientation.”

Cate Blanchett with daughter Edith and son Ignatius outside the Barrymore Theatre as part of The Ghostlight Project

On January 21 wall-of-us @1beautifulwall – a project that resolves to resist Trump’s agenda – tweeted a video of Blanchett taking their Oath. 

Various other actors including cast members of the musical Hamilton have also taken the Oath. In November, Donald J. Trump, then President-elect, took to Twitter to castigate the cast of Hamilton, claiming that they had “harassed” Vice President-elect Mike Pence when he attended a performance at which actor Brandon Victor Dixon addressed him at the curtain call. Dixon read a statement directed at Pence in which he said: ““We, sir, are the diverse America who are alarmed and anxious that your new administration will not protect us: our planet, our children, our parents, or defend us and uphold our inalienable rights,” adding, “We truly hope that this show has inspired you to uphold our American values and to work on behalf of all of us.” 

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