Do we still care about the performing arts?
In a city home to more than 200 of the most historic institutions dedicated to the performing arts, are people in the field truly working towards a dying art form?
After causing controversy with his comment about ballet and opera being something where we need to “keep this thing alive, even though like no one cares about this anymore,” actor Timothee Chalamet sparked backlash with members of both communities and audiences alike. With over 10,000 art students alone in London, this raises concern within the community on whether they are investing in a fruitless future.
The city itself is home to world renown institutions where the arts continue to thrive, with theatres like The Royal Ballet and Opera House welcoming more than one million visitors every year, hosting shows for the world’s most celebrated ballets, including The Nutcracker and Swan Lake.
Yet despite the unwavering appreciation for these performing arts and their popularity in some of the biggest cities around the globe, how do other art forms, such as classical music, potentially face an existential threat?
“I feel like music and classical music will always be relevant… there’s still thousands, millions of people who love it and play it and listen, so I don’t think it’s ever going to go away,” says Hana McDowell, a musician and student at Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
According to a recent article for Secret London, a global study by Classical Pulse 2026 found that classical music concerts have seen a rise in younger audiences, particularly from Gen Z and Millennials, where “94% of under-45s went to at least one classical concert in 2025.”
Classical music, the backdrop for any performance of the ballet and opera, has existed since the 18th century and is still enjoyed, practiced and performed today; “I just love how it makes you feel things, and gets you thinking about things,” says Hana. “For me, also playing and collaborating with other people is what I enjoy the most, like playing in groups like string quartet and orchestra.”
A production of Swan Lake or Sleeping Beauty would be incomplete without pieces by composers like Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, who produced some of the most notable classical works that continue to live on through ballet shows in the present day.
Despite being relatively niche art forms, the ballet and opera still maintain a strong sense of favourability amongst audiences. In response to Chalamet’s comment, The English National Ballet took to Instagram to share how ballet continues to excel, and that “we’re happy to report that ballet is not only alive and well, but thriving,” where last year, 200,000 people attended their performances. “I don’t think working towards being a musician is a waste of time, because at the end of the day everyone relies on music or the arts in some form,” believes Hana.
Regardless of Chalamet’s comment, the performing arts continue to flourish, especially amidst an age of AI and digital platforms that can pose a threat to real world performances. “If you really think about all the work, the passion, the hours that they’ve put in to put on a show like that”, McDowell goes on to say, “you see the blood, sweat and tears and everything. I think it’s definitely something to be respected, if not at least enjoyed.”
Audio and Video: Jessica Addo and Mary Hazlitt
Words and feature image: Katy Deboo