Since the 16th century, thousands of opera singers and ballet dancers have drawn audiences with their artistic skills. Despite the longstanding popularity of ballets like “The Nutcracker” and operas like “Carmen,” many people today opt to watch movies or shows instead of attending operas and ballets. According to the National Endowment for the Arts, attendance rates for in-person art events such as opera and ballet declined from 2017 to 2022, and 75% of adults instead consumed digital media such as movies.
In an interview hosted by Variety and CNN, actor Timothée Chalamet discussed audiences’ short attention spans and movie theater attendance. “I don’t want to be working in ballet or opera, or things where it’s like, ‘Hey, keep this thing alive,’ even though … no one cares about this anymore. All respect to the ballet and opera people out there,” Chalamet said.
Chalamet’s comment quickly garnered large amounts of backlash on social media. Under one of Chalamet’s recent Instagram posts, a user wrote, “Opera singer here! Never watching your movies again!” The comment has gained nearly 24,000 likes as of April 9.
Opera and ballet were both prominent art forms for nearly 300 years before movies existed. “Even if, culturally at the moment they don’t seem all that popular, the art forms have still persisted throughout centuries, and you still see the same ballets, the same operas throughout centuries. And you see, they still have attendance,” said Ro March ’27, ballet dancer and singer. “Chalamet’s comments lack tact.”
Chalamet’s mother has a background in ballet, which sparked even more online retaliation against his comments. “He knows how much time and work is put into ballet … because he has family members [that are] a part of it, and he’s going out and saying that no one [watches ballet]. But people still watch ballet. … That’s why it’s still in business,” said Niko Druznikhov ’28, who is a ballet dancer.
According to a survey of 68 opera companies conducted by Opera America, opera ticket revenue decreased by approximately 22% between 2019 and 2023. “Chalamet views opera and ballet as dying industries. I think what his statement really needs is better wording, because I feel like what he’s saying is true, but the way he’s saying it is very careless,” Leo Darani-Schwer ’27 said.
In an age of digital streaming and high ticket prices, attending in-person performances can become inconvenient. “A lot of the reason behind the decline in opera and ballet is that they’re very expensive performances to go to, … and you need to reserve tickets in advance,” Darani-Schwer said. “I think we need to rekindle in-person attendance of ballet and opera by providing more venue space.”
In addition to high ticket prices, language barriers may dissuade English-speaking viewers from attending opera performances. Some organizations are working to fix this. “I’m in this opera right now where the goal of the organization is to make opera more accessible. They translate traditional opera into English, and they do small reductions of [the orchestra] … so it doesn’t need a full, massive orchestra that’s more difficult to put in certain venues,” opera singer and former Urban student Kochavia Glaubach ’27 said. “I think that that’s what’s going to be done more in the future, and that’s definitely going to make opera more accessible.”
While opera and ballet have lost popularity in recent years, many continue to pursue these art forms out of personal passion. “Nobody’s doing opera or doing ballet … because they want to be famous. …They’re doing it because they love the art,” Glaubach said. “My teacher said that if he could do [opera] without being paid, that’s what he would do. And I think the same thing.”