I’ve been curious about this for a while now and am really interested in your input. I’m going to need a long intro. Sorry. My last four trips to nyc have been alone. I’m still getting used to it. There certainly are advantages. Not sure if they outweigh the disadvantages. I have inferred in the various threads here that there are more than a few of you who do this, too. Also interesting to me was that at two of the three shows I went to see on my recent trip the people on both sides of me were also alone. I talked to two of them. One woman actually prefers to go alone. Says her friends can be too judgmental about the show and ruin the experience for her. How many of you go alone intentionally? What are your thoughts about going alone? Would you really prefer to go with someone to share the experience with? Along those lines I have thought it would be fun to meet some of you when I go up. Fun to get together after a show to talk about it. We talk all the time here why not talk face to face? And yet I've never heard of any of you doing this. How would it go over here if I had suggested something like that? Would you consider it or not? Why? I have many more thoughts but this is already too long. I’ll contribute to the discussion. Your turn.
I, too, often go alone. It bothers me not at all, but I also enjoy going with others...it just seems like our schedules rarely match up.
The only thing I truly miss by attending alone is the immediate discussion afterwards. I like the independence of being in the city - going where I choose, eating where on want, etc.
There are people here that have met up, but I have no idea how often.
If we're not having fun, then why are we doing it?
These are DISCUSSION boards, not mutual admiration boards. Discussion only occurs when we are willing to hear what others are thinking, regardless of whether it is alignment to our own thoughts.
I go alone all the time and I love it. Absolutely nothing to have any apprehension about. It's easier to get tickets alone and there are always a ton of others there solo too.
I travel to NY once or twice a year by myself, and see a bunch of shows alone. Next week, November 5th to the 9th, I'll be in town seeing 6 shows.
It really doesn't bother me, as others have said. Yes, it would be great to have someone in my life who loves theater and film as much as I do, and want to spend as much time as I do watching them. But, I am fine being by myself where I can be alone with my thoughts.
I'm married and I sometimes go alone for the simple reason that my wife and I have different likes and dislikes. I don't want to be with someone who is restless during a serious play which I enjoy. I find myself more concerned with her than the play.
I prefer when we go to shows together when we both desire to go. Often we don't agree and we love to compare notes. But then we enjoy each other.
I personally feel that sometimes when alone you can focus better on the art.
I go to New York 3 to 5 times a year for theater trips, and I usually see about 6 shows each trip. I do try and ask people go see shows with me. However, it is very difficult. I prefer to buy my tickets in advance, which means I have to find someone who is willing to fork over at least 80 to 100 bucks (if the seats are even discounted), and commit to a date and time weeks, sometimes months in advance. Most people prefer to say "let's just meet for a drink after the show". Often when I find another person who's open to the idea of theater, they want to see either the newest, hottest thing, or they want to see something I've seen too often (Wicked, Lion King, etc). Going alone lets me plan my trip the way I want. It lets me relax in my hotel til a few minutes before showtime. It lets me decide when and where I want to eat, and which bars I want to go to or not go to. Sure, I can meet friends before and after. And sure, it is fun to talk about the show during intermission and afterwards. But that's what this board is for lol.
I go to shows alone frequently (locally), because I have few local friends to go with. I don't mind it, but it provides for a good bit of boredom waiting for the show to start and at intermission. My phone gets plenty of use. lol
There's something freeing about traveling alone - you can do and see whatever you want and never have to compromise. I did that once and it was great.
Do I prefer it to seeing shows with someone? No, but I don't mind it now and then.
I do a mix, but honestly i like going alone better because my friends can ruin the experience sometimes. On the other hand, it can be amazing with friends. It really depends on the show
I also see shows both ways, with friends and alone. I like going alone because as another poster also said, you can do what you and go where you want. You don't have to compromise. I also don't usually eat if I am alone or if I do I eat cheaply. I also see shows on the cheap, either tdf, tkts, discounts, lotteries or SRO. I also see shows sometimes on the spur of the moment. A lot of times your schedules don't match up either. I like going with others too, but it is just sometimes more practical to go solo. If I go solo then I might meet friends before or after for a drink or a meal.
It's much easier to get great seats when you go alone. I go alone to a lot of shows, but whenever my family is in town they all want to go to shows together.
It's rare that I have a theatre-going companion. Very few people I know are willing to spend that kind of money (even with discounts).
Then, too, I have a fairly extensive theatrical favorites list and occasionally stop by the stage door afterwards to say hi. I'm local and there are a good number of people with whom I'm already acquainted enough to chat. Some people feel uncomfortable doing this.
Finally, on my last trip to England, circumstances dictated I go alone. And I discovered I love it that way. When you travel with a companion, you talk to that companion. When you travel alone, you talk to everyone. It's a far more immersive experience that way.
I go alone almost all of the time. The people interested in going with me to shows often can't decide until it's last-minute or want to wait until good reviews are in or they hear good things, which usually means non-discounted shows.
So, I balance it out. The big Broadway stuff is usually alone. Stuff I book last-minute, I check to see if anyone is up for it. And when I buy tickets to shows with general admission, I just send people the link/date and tell them they can join me.
But I really don't think twice about it, nor do I think the experience is better or worse if I am there alone or with people.
I always go alone and never leave home without a book. I am early for everything so the book is great company. I never go out at intermission[I read]. Live theatre it's difficult to sit alone due to numbered seats but for movies I sit against the far wall-alone and away from the crowds who always sit center-perfect. I chat theatre with friends on the phone or over coffee. Everyones' needs are different-alone suit some, company, others.
I go alone all the time. Much easier than trying to coordinate with someone else, and I can give the show my full attention. Heck, I go to baseball games alone, too!
I'm bi too. I like it both ways, but usually go alone as it's usually a spur of the moment decision. I mean, you don't talk through the show, so it's not that awkward or anything.
Since my main theater buddy (AdamGreer) has moved away, I see most shows alone. Although, it was an adjustment, I've gotten used to it. Friends are always shocked that I do it alone, but it doesn't bother me. It's sometimes nice to sit there, relax, and not wonder about what your friends think of the show. Theater is a cathartic experience for me, and sometimes that is best experienced alone. Updated On: 10/28/14 at 11:53 PM
I don't mind going to shows alone, but I prefer to go with friends. I've found that nothing can bond two (or more) people like sitting through theater together, whether it be a horror like Wonderland or something brilliant like The Normal Heart.
I can still enjoy a show alone, but you can't explain to someone who didn't see The Normal Heart exactly what it was like to sit through that production with Joe Mantello. On the other hand, if you sat next to your best friend and watched each other brush a tear away as the lights came up then no words need be spoken about the experience. You're linked forever because of the experience.
Marie: Don't be in such a hurry about that pretty little chippy in Frisco.
Tony: Eh, she's a no chip!
I go all the time... and yes it is easier to get good seats that way! i've always had good experiences when the box office will actually try harder to get me better seats
the only thing i hate is having no on to talk to at intermission... i'm not really good at striking up conversations with strangers
that and the voyage back home.. no one to talk to about what I just saw
I see shows with friends, or with my husband, or by myself. I usually get better seats--even the discount ones--when going solo. It's also easier to move to a better seat for Act II when it's just you. But it's all good.
I recently finished an M. A. in Dramatic Lit (Theory and Structure of the Dramatic Text) with an emphasis on the classics and how they've influenced our civilization through time. As such, I needed to see a lot of theatre for projects I was working on. I absolutely love going alone. I can thoroughly involve myself in the viewing of the work at hand (getting a single seat is usually effortless) and therefore usually feel much more involved with the work on stage.
I highly recommend doing some research online before you see a play. JSTOR has tons of great articles, but even a quick WIKI search on the playwright can be very informative and engaging. Enjoy, OP!!
From President Obama: "Over the years, musicals have been at the forefront of our social consciousness, challenging stereotypes, shaping our opinions about race and religion, death and disease, power and politics."