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Friday, March 20, 2026
Solo theatergoers are on the rise — and theaters want more of them
NPR: Nearly 20% of Broadway theater tickets are now being purchased by solo attendees — double the rate from just a couple of years ago, according to audience data for the 2024-25 season from the Broadway League.
One major theater company is taking action.
As I began to reach the end of my undergrad, I was hit with the hard realization that I will not always have a built-in community and access to friends in the way I had my entire life before. When I was at school, I was with another group of friends that I studied with, and worked with, then I would go home to my best friend who happened to be my roommate. I think this article really speaks to the isolation of adulthood, and how we often don’t learn as children and young adults how to be by ourselves. I can feel comfortable acknowledging that this encouragement of going to the theatre by yourself and engaging in this mixer is purely a business strategy on the part of the producers, yet, the goal of making people comfortable going somewhere alone and interacting with strangers is beneficial for the consumer as well. Is $75 a lot of money for one person’s casual night out? Perhaps, but that’s still a pretty good deal for theatre tickets, which is a whole other discussion.
I really think this is an interesting thing to track and keep records of because I feel like most of the time that I don't go to the theater is that I don't have anyone to go with and I feel like one of my goals should be to go see more theater by myself and that it is ok to take yourself out on a date and go to the theater just yourself and that be totally normal I feel like one of my goals is always to see more live entertainment and more theater and this would be an excellent way to get more shows in my schedule. I think this little solo theatergoer mixer that ATC had in San Francisco was so brilliant, and as it is my hometown, I love ACT, and I would have loved to go to this mixer. I hope other theaters follow this and start doing this more. I think it's a brilliant idea.
The title of this article somewhat surprised me, and in retrospect I am not sure why that is the case. I guess in my head like this article also suggested I must have been one of those people who viewed going to live theater as a group or couples activity. I am not sure why that is the case, but I must have subconsciously thought of theater going in this way. Which was why I was then surprised to learn through this article that there has been a twenty percent increase in solo theater goers on broadway alone. It would be cool to know the global or even USA increase, but from what I saw this article does not have that statistic. Regardless I for one do not think watching live theater needs to be a solid activity just as it is with watching a movie in a movie theater. Both activities can be enjoyed in both a group and while solo. I think the most important thing for me is that I see more theater to absorb new and exciting designs, and I can do this more solid vs organizing a group.
This was a very interesting article. I’ve honestly never thought about this before. I see theatre alone all the time! I find theatre to be really therapeutic. I really enjoy stepping into a different world, and disassociating for a few hours. This is honestly the same with movies! Theatre, and the arts, should be for everybody. I am not sure why there is a stigma around doing things by yourself. At the end of the day, I feel like the more in touch that you are with yourself, the more compatible that you are with others. I can’t lie that theatre is one of the best outings with your friends and family though! Some of my most fond memories are going to dinner and the theatre with my grandparents! It is so awesome that these companies are supporting solo theatergoers! Especially in this time where box office’s are struggling more than ever, I think it is beneficial to appeal to the largest audience possible!
This might be a little out of the realm of what this article is really discussing. But I find it incredibly interesting that we've as a society found ourselves shifting away from having to do things with friends. Theres more people now that are increasing the amount they just do by themselves. Theres no longer this stigma that in order to have a night out they have to be with someone else. They can have a fun night without other people, and I think that shift is rather beautiful. I think it comes with an even broader shift that people are starting to take their own mental and physical health a lot more seriously now, and that theres a larger push to start caring about yourself more in general in society. I just think thats awesome. Theres truly more to life than just hanging out with friends or having a social side to you. You have no idea how much you can enjoy just being by your self sometimes, and I'm super glad that people are discovering that broadway shows can be enjoyed just as much.
I think this is fantastic because I frequently visit the theater by myself. I didn't believe it was particularly Uncommon before, but I suppose it is! I think ATG has done a great job of redefining the stigma associated with being a lone audience member through the use of community. From a logistical perspective, leveraging the rise in the amount of people engaging in leisure activities by themselves in a post-COVID environment is such a good excellent example of creating a theater recovery plan. I love how they're not making it a creepy singles night and instead concentrating on community. By using mixers and icebreakers to remove the stigma of being there alone makes the entire experience feel a lot more approachable. It is a really practical approach to keep the house filled and the sector relevant as people get more comfortable doing things on their own. It simply makes the theater feel less frightening and more like a place where anyone can come and enjoy the performance.
I think that people need to be more comfortable with doing things by themselves like going out to eat and going on little adventures. Going to the theater by yourself is something that everyone should do at least once. I saw &Juliet by myself on Broadway and actually quite enjoyed the experience because I could react to things without worrying about the reaction of whoever came with me. Now, I also enjoy going to shows with people, but that cannot always happen due to schedules. I really appreciate how the marketing officer said explicitly that it is not a singles night trying to create new romantic relationships, but more of a community building experience. However, as someone who would go to a show alone, part of the going alone is not having to talk to anybody else, so I appreciate the idea of the community building, but I also think that that should not be the end goal behind encouraging people to do things alone
I love this. I can see how one might think that this is a result of increasing social isolation in our society and lack of community, however, I actually think its the opposite. I think you shouldn’t have to have a group of friends readily available in order to go enjoy the arts of your community as a solo person. I think taking yourself out, enjoying a night of theater put on by artists in your community is a wonderful form of engaging in whats outside. I love doing things by myself, sometimes I will pick a street and just walk down it as far as it can go or I will get on the bus and get off somewhere cool and just walk and see whats out there. I think more people should explore things by themselves. It opens you up to experiencing things that you wouldn’t necessarily be open to if you had a friend by your side.
I really like this idea of encouraging people to go to the theatre alone. I feel like a lot of people, including myself, think you should always go with someone when watching a theatre show. Which yeah you totally should, but it doesn’t hurt to give yourself your own time and get to enjoy a production by yourself. I feel like it’s a nice way to take a break from anything that could be bothering a person, and just give them a nice day of distraction and relaxation. I really like the idea behind the discounting tickets as well. I would not go to a show alone if one ticket is $150+, with that price I would want to share that experience with a friend or my family. The price itself is discouraging because you also gotta go get food before or after the show so the money just stacks up.
I found this article really interesting, especially because it made me reflect on my own feelings about doing things alone. I wish I could be the type of person who feels completely comfortable going places or doing things by myself, but for me it brings more anxiety than enjoyment. It’s not so much about feeling judged by others, but more about wanting that sense of comfort and familiarity that comes with going with someone I know. At the same time, I can see why this trend is growing and why initiatives like “Solo Seats” are helpful. They seem like a good way to ease people into the experience and make it feel less intimidating. Even though I’m not quite there yet, I like the idea of slowly becoming more comfortable with doing things on my own, and this kind of approach makes that feel a little more possible.
I am typically one to go to the theater with a group of people or at least one other person because I really love debriefing the show I just saw with the people after the fact. I have been one to cancel plans to attend a performance because the person I am going with doesn’t want to go anymore so this article was actually super exciting to me. I recently went to Hurricane Diane alone and honestly had a really wonderful experience. I had never really noticed the people around me when I went to see a show with a group of people but this time, the audience around me was very vocal and it kinda made the show much more interesting. I had such a fun experience as a solo theater goer and I hope that more people start to venture to the theater alone too, even though it feels weird not having a group to go with.
While I am under the impression that going to see a show with others is better than going alone, I have often run into the problem of not having anyone to share my show going experiences with. I have attended more shows alone than with other people in the past couple of years and I am glad that theaters are recognising the solo attendees and providing them with ways to connect to others. I would love to go to a show in Pittsburgh that does one of these ‘Solo Seats’ events. I for one would enjoy the chance to see a show with others and find an opportunity to connect with people who I can potentially see a show with in the future so that neither of us have to attend a show without a friend again. I think that these events are a great way to normalise going to see theater alone. It can be intimidating walking into a big theater alone, but if you know that there are a lot of other solo theater goers around you that will hopefully make the experience more rewarding than daunting.
I’m glad that the stigma about going out to see media alone is disappearing because I’ve always thought that the stigma behind was very dumb, you should t need to gather one or a group of people just to see something you want to see, while it is good to have social interaction with your friend or partner you shouldn’t feel pressured to take someone with you every time you want to see a new show or movie and I’m glad that people are realizing that. I’ve always been more of a soloist, I go with friends a lot as well but I often see a lot of media on my own(this is especially true when you have your own interests that people around might not have). I think it’s really cool to see that people are recognizing this uptick and attempting to accommodate on it especially since the number of solo theatre attendees are rising.
It’s kind of weird to me that people seem to think of going to see a show on your own as a weird thing. I have seen a lot of shows over the past year on my own through CMU’s partnership with the Benedum! (Granted I usually run into someone or other when I see these shows, but it’s ultimately a solo experience where I usually arrive alone and am seated alone.) Even more than that, I have gone to way more concerts alone than with other people, which is arguably a far lonelier experience than going to the theater on your own, because at concerts if you’re alone then you don’t have anything to do but wander around alone between the opener and the main act. Despite this I keep doing it because…I don’t really care that much and I would generally rather get to see shows and musicians I like than feel weird about seeing shows solo.
14 comments:
As I began to reach the end of my undergrad, I was hit with the hard realization that I will not always have a built-in community and access to friends in the way I had my entire life before. When I was at school, I was with another group of friends that I studied with, and worked with, then I would go home to my best friend who happened to be my roommate. I think this article really speaks to the isolation of adulthood, and how we often don’t learn as children and young adults how to be by ourselves.
I can feel comfortable acknowledging that this encouragement of going to the theatre by yourself and engaging in this mixer is purely a business strategy on the part of the producers, yet, the goal of making people comfortable going somewhere alone and interacting with strangers is beneficial for the consumer as well. Is $75 a lot of money for one person’s casual night out? Perhaps, but that’s still a pretty good deal for theatre tickets, which is a whole other discussion.
I really think this is an interesting thing to track and keep records of because I feel like most of the time that I don't go to the theater is that I don't have anyone to go with and I feel like one of my goals should be to go see more theater by myself and that it is ok to take yourself out on a date and go to the theater just yourself and that be totally normal I feel like one of my goals is always to see more live entertainment and more theater and this would be an excellent way to get more shows in my schedule. I think this little solo theatergoer mixer that ATC had in San Francisco was so brilliant, and as it is my hometown, I love ACT, and I would have loved to go to this mixer. I hope other theaters follow this and start doing this more. I think it's a brilliant idea.
The title of this article somewhat surprised me, and in retrospect I am not sure why that is the case. I guess in my head like this article also suggested I must have been one of those people who viewed going to live theater as a group or couples activity. I am not sure why that is the case, but I must have subconsciously thought of theater going in this way. Which was why I was then surprised to learn through this article that there has been a twenty percent increase in solo theater goers on broadway alone. It would be cool to know the global or even USA increase, but from what I saw this article does not have that statistic. Regardless I for one do not think watching live theater needs to be a solid activity just as it is with watching a movie in a movie theater. Both activities can be enjoyed in both a group and while solo. I think the most important thing for me is that I see more theater to absorb new and exciting designs, and I can do this more solid vs organizing a group.
This was a very interesting article. I’ve honestly never thought about this before. I see theatre alone all the time! I find theatre to be really therapeutic. I really enjoy stepping into a different world, and disassociating for a few hours. This is honestly the same with movies! Theatre, and the arts, should be for everybody. I am not sure why there is a stigma around doing things by yourself. At the end of the day, I feel like the more in touch that you are with yourself, the more compatible that you are with others. I can’t lie that theatre is one of the best outings with your friends and family though! Some of my most fond memories are going to dinner and the theatre with my grandparents! It is so awesome that these companies are supporting solo theatergoers! Especially in this time where box office’s are struggling more than ever, I think it is beneficial to appeal to the largest audience possible!
This might be a little out of the realm of what this article is really discussing. But I find it incredibly interesting that we've as a society found ourselves shifting away from having to do things with friends. Theres more people now that are increasing the amount they just do by themselves. Theres no longer this stigma that in order to have a night out they have to be with someone else. They can have a fun night without other people, and I think that shift is rather beautiful. I think it comes with an even broader shift that people are starting to take their own mental and physical health a lot more seriously now, and that theres a larger push to start caring about yourself more in general in society. I just think thats awesome. Theres truly more to life than just hanging out with friends or having a social side to you. You have no idea how much you can enjoy just being by your self sometimes, and I'm super glad that people are discovering that broadway shows can be enjoyed just as much.
I think this is fantastic because I frequently visit the theater by myself. I didn't believe it was particularly Uncommon before, but I suppose it is! I think ATG has done a great job of redefining the stigma associated with being a lone audience member through the use of community. From a logistical perspective, leveraging the rise in the amount of people engaging in leisure activities by themselves in a post-COVID environment is such a good excellent example of creating a theater recovery plan. I love how they're not making it a creepy singles night and instead concentrating on community. By using mixers and icebreakers to remove the stigma of being there alone makes the entire experience feel a lot more approachable. It is a really practical approach to keep the house filled and the sector relevant as people get more comfortable doing things on their own. It simply makes the theater feel less frightening and more like a place where anyone can come and enjoy the performance.
I think that people need to be more comfortable with doing things by themselves like going out to eat and going on little adventures. Going to the theater by yourself is something that everyone should do at least once. I saw &Juliet by myself on Broadway and actually quite enjoyed the experience because I could react to things without worrying about the reaction of whoever came with me. Now, I also enjoy going to shows with people, but that cannot always happen due to schedules. I really appreciate how the marketing officer said explicitly that it is not a singles night trying to create new romantic relationships, but more of a community building experience. However, as someone who would go to a show alone, part of the going alone is not having to talk to anybody else, so I appreciate the idea of the community building, but I also think that that should not be the end goal behind encouraging people to do things alone
I love this. I can see how one might think that this is a result of increasing social isolation in our society and lack of community, however, I actually think its the opposite. I think you shouldn’t have to have a group of friends readily available in order to go enjoy the arts of your community as a solo person. I think taking yourself out, enjoying a night of theater put on by artists in your community is a wonderful form of engaging in whats outside. I love doing things by myself, sometimes I will pick a street and just walk down it as far as it can go or I will get on the bus and get off somewhere cool and just walk and see whats out there. I think more people should explore things by themselves. It opens you up to experiencing things that you wouldn’t necessarily be open to if you had a friend by your side.
I really like this idea of encouraging people to go to the theatre alone. I feel like a lot of people, including myself, think you should always go with someone when watching a theatre show. Which yeah you totally should, but it doesn’t hurt to give yourself your own time and get to enjoy a production by yourself. I feel like it’s a nice way to take a break from anything that could be bothering a person, and just give them a nice day of distraction and relaxation. I really like the idea behind the discounting tickets as well. I would not go to a show alone if one ticket is $150+, with that price I would want to share that experience with a friend or my family. The price itself is discouraging because you also gotta go get food before or after the show so the money just stacks up.
I found this article really interesting, especially because it made me reflect on my own feelings about doing things alone. I wish I could be the type of person who feels completely comfortable going places or doing things by myself, but for me it brings more anxiety than enjoyment. It’s not so much about feeling judged by others, but more about wanting that sense of comfort and familiarity that comes with going with someone I know. At the same time, I can see why this trend is growing and why initiatives like “Solo Seats” are helpful. They seem like a good way to ease people into the experience and make it feel less intimidating. Even though I’m not quite there yet, I like the idea of slowly becoming more comfortable with doing things on my own, and this kind of approach makes that feel a little more possible.
I am typically one to go to the theater with a group of people or at least one other person because I really love debriefing the show I just saw with the people after the fact. I have been one to cancel plans to attend a performance because the person I am going with doesn’t want to go anymore so this article was actually super exciting to me. I recently went to Hurricane Diane alone and honestly had a really wonderful experience. I had never really noticed the people around me when I went to see a show with a group of people but this time, the audience around me was very vocal and it kinda made the show much more interesting. I had such a fun experience as a solo theater goer and I hope that more people start to venture to the theater alone too, even though it feels weird not having a group to go with.
While I am under the impression that going to see a show with others is better than going alone, I have often run into the problem of not having anyone to share my show going experiences with. I have attended more shows alone than with other people in the past couple of years and I am glad that theaters are recognising the solo attendees and providing them with ways to connect to others. I would love to go to a show in Pittsburgh that does one of these ‘Solo Seats’ events. I for one would enjoy the chance to see a show with others and find an opportunity to connect with people who I can potentially see a show with in the future so that neither of us have to attend a show without a friend again. I think that these events are a great way to normalise going to see theater alone. It can be intimidating walking into a big theater alone, but if you know that there are a lot of other solo theater goers around you that will hopefully make the experience more rewarding than daunting.
I’m glad that the stigma about going out to see media alone is disappearing because I’ve always thought that the stigma behind was very dumb, you should t need to gather one or a group of people just to see something you want to see, while it is good to have social interaction with your friend or partner you shouldn’t feel pressured to take someone with you every time you want to see a new show or movie and I’m glad that people are realizing that. I’ve always been more of a soloist, I go with friends a lot as well but I often see a lot of media on my own(this is especially true when you have your own interests that people around might not have). I think it’s really cool to see that people are recognizing this uptick and attempting to accommodate on it especially since the number of solo theatre attendees are rising.
It’s kind of weird to me that people seem to think of going to see a show on your own as a weird thing. I have seen a lot of shows over the past year on my own through CMU’s partnership with the Benedum! (Granted I usually run into someone or other when I see these shows, but it’s ultimately a solo experience where I usually arrive alone and am seated alone.) Even more than that, I have gone to way more concerts alone than with other people, which is arguably a far lonelier experience than going to the theater on your own, because at concerts if you’re alone then you don’t have anything to do but wander around alone between the opener and the main act. Despite this I keep doing it because…I don’t really care that much and I would generally rather get to see shows and musicians I like than feel weird about seeing shows solo.
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