The Opera and Ballet Conundrum: Navigating Celebrity Criticism and Declining Audiences
A recent foray into promoting his film, Marty Supreme, saw actor Timothée Chalamet declare that opera and ballet have fallen out of public favour, with “no one cares about” them anymore. This seemingly flippant remark, interpreted by many news outlets as both a slight and a swipe, has ignited a firestorm of criticism from prominent figures and arts organisations across the globe. The controversy has even led some to speculate it could impact Chalamet’s chances at the upcoming Academy Awards.
But what is it about these comments that has struck such a nerve? Is it the personal connection, with Chalamet’s own mother and sister having danced with the esteemed School of American Ballet? Or, as dance critic Gia Kourlas pointed out in The New York Times, does it highlight a more painful reality: that for ballet to gain any traction in mainstream media, it often requires a celebrity to disparage it?
A Health Check on the State of Ballet
In Australia, Dance Australia attempted to put a positive spin on the situation. They suggested Chalamet’s remarks could be “unexpectedly useful” in rearticulating “why the artform continues to matter.” This sentiment was echoed by Ivan Gil-Ortega, Artistic Director of Queensland Ballet, who spoke about the delicate balance of “honouring the heritage of ballet while ensuring it remains alive and relevant for audiences today.”
Emma Sandall, a former dancer turned critic, offered a historical perspective, arguing that ballet has consistently “moved repeatedly in and out of fashion” and has “always existed through one form of patronage or another.”
However, the figures paint a concerning picture for Australia’s national ballet company, The Australian Ballet. The company has experienced a notable decline in attendance, with total live performances dropping from 248 in 2023 to 200 in 2024. This has corresponded with a significant dip in attendance numbers, falling from 305,364 to 225,771.
Live Performance Australia, which consolidates ballet and dance figures into a single national statistic, reported a 10.4% decrease in attendance over the same period. When looking at a longer timeframe, the drop is even more stark, with attendance falling by almost 30% between 2010 and 2024.
Reflecting on a substantial A$9.1 million loss in 2024, Richard Dammery, Chair of The Australian Ballet, candidly wrote that “without philanthropy, the Australian Ballet would be in a dire financial position. The company only exists… because of generous donors.”
This financial precariousness is not unique to Australia. An analysis of the American ballet sector revealed that half of the 150 companies surveyed were operating at a deficit in the 2023 financial year. Furthermore, attendance levels for ballet and other forms of live dance in the US have nearly halved between 2017 and 2022.
What About Opera? A Similar Predicament
Opera is grappling with a comparable dilemma. Opera companies are wrestling with the challenge of maintaining their artistic integrity while simultaneously navigating the demands of market economics.
Research indicates a potential path forward lies in exploring alternative revenue streams and reimagining traditional programming strategies. However, such shifts are fraught with risk, potentially alienating existing audiences and crucial donors.
Opera Australia’s past ventures into musical theatre, such as Sunset Boulevard and Guys and Dolls, were intended to boost income. While previous musical productions like My Fair Lady saw total performances rivaling “all of the main-stage operas combined,” the programming of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Sunset Boulevard in 2024 coincided with a staggering A$10 million operating loss and a 23% drop in attendance.
Former CEO Craig Hassall (2013-2016) was particularly critical, labelling Sunset Boulevard as “disastrous” and the subsequent Guys and Dolls as “crazy.” He issued a stark warning: “this addiction to musicals dangerously deprecated the company’s assumed raison d’être: first and foremost, to present opera. Musicals are not opera.”
The newly appointed CEO, Alex Budd, has thanked Chalamet for drawing attention to opera and has extended an invitation to join the company’s under-35 program, an initiative that sold 1,110 tickets upon its launch in 2024. For context, the Joan Sutherland Theatre has a capacity of 1,507.
Budd announced Opera Australia would have one million seats on sale in 2026. However, with a season that includes three musicals – Anastasia, The Phantom of the Opera, and My Fair Lady – the exact proportion of these seats dedicated to opera remains unclear.
On a global scale, The Metropolitan Opera, the world’s largest repertory opera house, is expanding its performances and extending its seasons. Yet, it too faces significant budgetary pressures. Numerous reports have detailed salary cuts, layoffs, and a depleted deficit fund at the Met Opera, even as a tentative deal with Saudi Arabia for US$200 million in lifeline funding is being explored. The potential sale of two Chagall murals, valued at US$55 million by Sotheby’s, has also reportedly been under consideration.
Labor economist Christos Makridis, who studies the economics of art and culture, has argued that opera companies concentrating solely on preserving their art form, rather than popularising, monetising, and growing their offerings, face a grim future.
Locally, the Australian Research Council is funding research aimed at understanding how performing arts companies can enhance accessibility and broaden their audience base. However, practical solutions are likely to be slow to emerge and will require time to implement.
The Bigger Picture: A Sector-Wide Challenge
The most recent National Arts Participation Survey by Creative Australia revealed a worrying trend: weekly attendance across all art forms declined from 5% in 2019 to 3% in 2022. This suggests that the challenges faced by opera and ballet are not isolated incidents but indicative of a broader, sector-wide issue.
While opera and ballet organisations rightly champion their inherent relevance and argue that popularity does not diminish artistic value, a more pragmatic approach is needed. Acknowledging and confronting the magnitude of the task ahead is crucial for their survival.
The question remains: what concrete steps will opera and ballet organisations take, and what changes will they implement, to ensure their future? Chalamet’s controversial comments may have stirred the pot and galvanised a community, but the ensuing discourse has also underscored a significant disconnect between the deeply felt sentiments of artists and administrators and their capacity to effectively address the systemic conditions threatening their industries.
