We Still Care: A Case for Ballet and Opera
Timothée Chalamet, 2025. Photo by Amy Martin Photography. Wikimedia Commons
It hasn’t been an easy road for ballet and opera companies. Funding cuts, accessibility, and more recently, actor Timotheé Chalamet. In a ten second clip of an hour-long interview, Chalamet remarked: “I don’t wanna 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.” A slightly ironic comment from an actor whose family has had strong relationships with ballet. The backlash came soon after, with various companies batting back at the Marty Supreme actor. Other celebrities like Doja Cat and Whoopi Goldberg have surprisingly joined in on this confrontation. It seems that Chalamet hasn’t just angered a niche industry, he’s provoked a large body in the performing arts. Yet, despite his brashness, Chalamet’s comments did carry a bitter truth: opera and ballet are struggling.
Opera companies in many countries constantly face the danger of funding cuts. Just recently, the English National Opera in London received a full financial cut from Arts Council England, and will be relocating to Manchester in 2029. While companies do also rely on private donors,funding-driven repertoire choices often pose other challenges. “Fan favourite” operas by composers such as Wagner, Puccini and others are constantly staged to ensure that donations come in, but their librettos reflect the prejudices of their times and creators, potentially decreasing their appeal to newer audiences that critically question the plots of operas. Other opera librettos seem simply dated and hard to relate to. Additionally, high ticket prices often act as a gatekeeper towards those interested in opera but unable to afford it. It’s unsurprising to learn that opera doesn’t lend itself to be a highly accessible art form. Perhaps the reason we’re so perturbed by Chalamet’s comments is because we know a jab like that didn’t come from nowhere.
But even if a sliver of truth hides in an otherwise clumsy swipe at these art forms, should comments like these ever be warranted? Chalamet proved in his interview that he is all for an accessible arts scene, yet chose to punch down on other art forms which are already struggling to stay alive. In an age of AI where the definition and value of art has shifted to be something authentically human, should this not be precisely the time to embrace all human-created art forms, especially that of live theatre? To cast disdain on these doesn’t just disrespect the dancers and singers on stage, but also mocks those that live behind-the-scenes: the stage crew, the props team, technicians, and many other groups that work hard to ensure a show goes right every night.
So what now? It’s slightly cynical to note that an incident related to opera and ballet is going viral on social media just because a movie celebrity poked fun at these institutions. But perhaps we’re going about this the wrong way. Maybe we should consider, instead, how not to allow ourselves to be restricted by our narrowmindedness of what we think certain mediums entail. We can start as many conversations as we want about Chalamet’s views, but what’s more important is what happens after the dust settles. Will you give live opera and ballet performances at the theatre a try?
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