Cate Blanchett asks theatre audience to stop filming during show

A-list actress Cate Blanchett has become the latest star to make a plea for theatre audiences to put their phones away during performances.

The Australian film and stage actor and producer was appearing at London's National Theatre in Electra/Persona.

During the curtain call on Friday, Blanchett said: "There are few places on this planet where we can simply be together and be present.

"I understand you like filming the curtain call – and it is kind of flattering in a way – but for anyone who is filming the show, please don't, because it spoils it for the next group of people who come in and are present with us. So thank you very much."

The two-time Oscar winner's words were greeted with cheers and clapping from the audience.

One audience member explained what had happened earlier in the performance, saying that the filming took place between two acts: "I was there on Friday, so just to clarify what happened: after the first act, while they were changing and preparing for the second, latecomers were being let in, the staff were cleaning the stage, and the cast were doing their makeup on stage.

"Cate noticed someone recording during that break. She came towards the front of the stage and gestured "no, no, no" with her finger for them to stop. She also mentioned it to the audience at the very end before they left," the theatre-goer wrote on Instagram.

"The person wasn't filming the actual performance, but the interval between the two acts while the cast were still on stage. To be fair, people do this quite often and the staff usually don't say anything. It was my third time seeing the play, and I've seen people film during that break every time. Friday was simply the first time I saw Cate notice it herself, just after she had finished doing her makeup."

Electra/Persona is a new play written and directed by Benedict Andrews that combines the Sophocles tragedy Electra with Ingmar Bergman's film Persona.

The play, which is on until 10 October, sees Blanchett sharing the roles of Electra/Elisabeth and Clytemnestra/Alma with her co-star Nina Hoss, determined by a coin toss live on stage every night ahead of each performance.

Many theatres, like cinemas, ask audiences to switch off their mobile phones during performances.

Rosamund Pike called out an audience member for texting during an emotional moment from her performance in West End play Inter Alia earlier this year, saying: "When I feel that and see it, it's hard."

Cynthia Erivo interrupted her recent performance of Dracula after spotting an audience member filming. And Andrew Scott halted his "to be or not to be" soliloquy in Hamlet, a few years back, after someone started using a laptop.

Other stars including Daniel Craig, Hugh Jackman and Patti LuPone have all made similar criticisms, while Lesley Manville told BBC Radio 4 earlier this year that she found it "insulting" when punters took photos, even of curtain calls.