have you been to see live theatre/opera/concert?

[buggeroo]

we are professional (classical) musicians, so think nothing of going to see an Opera, classical concert, live theatre etc.
However, I've recently had 2 conversations with a family member and a head teacher that they have never been to a live (classical type) concert or theatre show/play.

So it's making me wonder - how many people have been to..
a) an opera?
b) a live theatre production?
c) classical concert?

I was suprised that these two people hadn't been to any of these, but should I be? I don't know?
Thank you.

All three, I love the theatre, I've seen a lot of opera and find it too long (except Carmen) but love other stage productions.

Yes to all three and regularly. Opera less often die to less opportunity.

I have zero creative talent unfortunately so I absolutely love watching those who do.

I agree. I've been to watch football, rugby and cricket (love cricket). I've been to a couple of different theme parks and to music festivals where I've camped and I am planning to go to another later in the summer. I love a loud, fast guitar played live. Also been to musicals and seen comedians perform live. I'm interested in the Zeitgeist and watch things on TV to see what everyone's talking about - eg Traitors. I'll try anything once, maybe I will like it, maybe I won't but I dont want to dismiss it out of hand. I just know that if I was told I could have a ticket, cost no object, for any of the things mentioned on this thread, I'd chose a ticket for an opera. Something by Verdi probably.

Yes it's that aspect that's surprising. The fact that she's got through her career without taking school children to any of these things.

We're pretty much tripping over events that are especially aimed at schools.

Yes, I do, all three, mostly theatre. I grew up on a council estate and never went to any of them as a child, and most of my family and old neighbours have never been to any, so it doesn't baffle me. I take my dcs to all three - we live in London and there are amazing productions aimed at children at Royal Opera House, Wigmore Hall, Southbank and Barbican.

All 3 - and ballet. I go to the theatre regularly, the others less often.

When I was at school (not in this country), they used to give unused tickets to high school students. A call would come over the tannoy that the office had tickets to such-and-such show or concert and you could just go and collect them.

I do think some theatres in London do this to an extent. I was at a show recently and surrounded by Brit School students who said they'd been given free tickets that day.

Maybe it needs to be more widespread. Empty seats don't help anyone.

All three plus ballet and musical theatre. My preference is live theatre which we go to see multiple times a year as well as things like NT live at the cinema. My parents also loved theatre and my Mum, sister and DD all love Am Dram as well. I missed the performance gene but love watching live theatre.

Classical concerts mainly because DD2 and DS are both musical and so we've been at concerts because a touring orchestra has done a workshop with the DC and so they've been involved in a small part. Those concerts tend to be very much 'classical greatest hits'. I like listening to R3 so I should probably make more of an effort, I went more when I was a student and there's something very special about listening to a full orchestra.

Haven't been to the Opera for years although I do like it. My kids love musucal theatre so we do that more often, going to see Hamilton this summer so very excited about that. And I love ballet as well but don't go every year.

Interestingly my PILs adore Opera and classical music but never go to the theatre or ballet.

When I was at uni there were tickets knowns as "Student standby". If you went to the booking office on the day and asked, if they had any tickets left, you could get them for £5.

We went to loads with that. It was a good idea.

My friend's dc was at a drama uni in London a couple of years ago and they could do the same at certain theatres, but the tickets were free.

All 3, hundreds of times (though less than 20 for live opera)

I go to a music concert every Monday afternoon for 2 hours

Thanks all. SO pleased to see that a lot of people are at least giving musical culture a go. Hopefully we can keep our jobs going for a bit longer yet!
I am a big advocate of giving people as many experiences as possible.

I once got front of the grand circle on student standby for £5 and saw Sergei Poulin! I loved those deals.

I go to loads of live theatre. Mostly plays, very rarely musicals.

I’ve never been to the opera because I really loathe opera.

I go to lots and lots of live music events in loads of genres, but the only classical or classical-adjacent acts I go to see are people like Max Richter or the North Sea Radio Orchestra. Or contemporary stuff like Steve Reichs and Olafur Arnalds. That isn’t because classical music is inaccessible to me; it’s just not really my thing. I vaguely remember being taken to a couple of kids’ classical concerts when I was a kid and a classic movie soundtrack concert as a teenager because I was a massive film buff then. But my dad is a huge modern jazz fan though so if I got taken to live music with my parents it was usually something at Ronnie Scott’s.

Not been to an opera, but would like to try it - same as a ballet.
Been to lots of theatre performances including plays, musicals, comedians, children's performances - both professional & amateur.
Not been to a classical concert at the theatre but have outside/in the park.

We take DC to the theatre a few times a year - last year we saw War Horse, Bluey's Big Play, Wicked, Horrible Histories, Science Museum Live, Steve Backshall Ocean, & the panto. DC have gone with school twice (Aladdin & panto).

All three. Me and DH love opera, ballet and theatre - usually musical theatre but also plays - Shakespeare predominantly.

I used to go to classical concerts as my ex-boyfriend worked for a music magazine back in the day so we used to get complimentary tickets to a variety of shows.

But for me going to the opera or a classical music concert isn’t something I want to try. It would be a waste of money as I know I wouldn’t enjoy it. I don’t feel my life is any worse for not having tried

All 3, mostly B and C, plus ballet. Two classical concerts within the past fortnight.

All three, often, thought theatre less than concerts and operas. We have fantastic arts in this country. But each to his own, maybe they just aren’t interested.

Lots of theatre, RSC in Stratford on Avon, National Theatre and other London shows, local touring rep.

Classical music or opera - never. Partial to a bit of Gilbert &Sullivan though.
I think there must be a gene for appreciation of opera - I haven’t got it!

Comparison of costs:
Tickets to see Hamilton this year in Sunderland, £15-£132 each.
Tickets to see RPO in Sunderland £17-£62 each
Tickets to see Swan Lake next week in local theatre: £20-48 each (this is typical for most shows at our local theatre including live theatre and opera. It's 10 minutes from our house and parking is free. Joys of living in the north)
Tickets to see opening match of Women's Euros in 2022: £40 per adult, £20 per child. Mens football is more expensive and much harder to get tickets for.
Prebooked ticket to Alton Towers: £39 (quite surprised how reasonable this is, we went to Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen and paid a lot more than this).
Tickets to see Taylor Swift in Edin urgh last year £50-£100s
Tickets to Glastonbury 2025 £373.50

Live pop music is much more expensive than other options.

Classical music is my biggest passion in life - I play a couple of instruments (see user name) and play regularly which means I am in several concerts per year and go to others - my idea of a good night out is hearing the Nash Ensemble at the Wigmore Hall (pleased to see someone mention it above).
I enjoy opera too and had a couple of trips to ENO recently, one of which only cost £10.
Theatre I try to get to when I can - my birthday treat to myself was Guys And Dolls last year! Obviously I enjoy musicals most as I am a musician but I’ll happily go to straight drama too (Shakespeare, Wilde, Tennessee Williams…..).
I agree that most of us have a limited budget for fun and can choose to prefer football matches and theme parks over the other options but, if you’re not actually struggling to put food on the table and keep a roof over your head (I totally understand that some people are), you do have a choice so I think that the cost argument can be spurious.

Love a bit of musical theatre and have seen loads of musicals. Never seen an opera and only one classical concert. They’re not really my things.

Well- this thread has just inspired me to see what is on at our regional theatre. Just booked 3 tickets to a ballet in 3 weeks time. Neither DS14 or DS12 are keen but I said we can always leave in intermission if they truly hate it, and it's something new that they have not seen before. I suggested they might find it inspiring and the look of sheer horror was quite funny. i think they will enjoy it tbh. Both love classical music so I think we have a good start.

That said- it was still £90 taking into account two under 16s at £20 each and we have to travel there. So I can see how it's not necessarily affordable for many to just book on what amounted to a whim.

But I am looking forward to it!

I've just checked the cost of going the Champions League football club local to my old university as an adult non-member with no concession, the cheapest ticket is £31. The cost for the cheapest seat in the theatre there to see the Birmingham Royal Ballet on tour is £15, and theatre is in the middle of town, so much easier to reach for anyone without a car. I don't think it's inaccurate to say their orchestra are in the premier league when it comes to British Classical Music. It's exceptional value by comparison.

Neither of my parents were musical so we never went to concerts or opera as children. (My mother went to stay with friends in Vienna and was taken as a treat to a Mahler concert. It was such a waste of a ticket! Afterwards she said “Mahler not only composed music, but he also invented a Time Machine which turned 2 hours into 10).

Anyway, we go to the opera and classical concerts quite often but rarely to the theatre. I took both my children to concerts when they were young - dd loved them from the get-go and ds went once but never again.
As pp have said, horses for courses.