New study has found that live theatre has a surprisingly large emotional impact — theatre is not just a frivolous outing, say British adults, but a setting in which to take a break from screens, connect, and lift spirits too.
Theatre as a Time Away From Screens
Nearly four in five 25–39-year-olds said that live performance was their escape from screentime. And it seems that people are opting out of another night staring at their screens and into the world of live theatre instead, a rare place to carve out such screen-free time. Over half of people leave the theatre feeling more refreshed than when they watch things on screens.
Theatre as a Contemporary Self-Care Routine
More than three in four (76%) of people who watch live performances more than once a year said that it has a positive impact on their mental well-being — compared to nearly half (46%) of all UK adults. And for some people, the after-effects lasted days — with a quarter of those aged 16 to 49 reporting that their mood change after watching a live performance had led them to have an important conversation and, in some cases, led to a life change.
Theatre is One of the Top 3 Quality Nights
One in four (25%) UK adults said that live performance was one of the top three things that left them feeling joyful and upbeat at the end of the evening. This ranked theatre as more joyful than more “everyday” activities like going to the cinema, watching a sport, or going to a hobby club. And there is a ripple effect of that positivity; people who watched a performance in the last year said that the performance helped them have more difficult conversations with family and friends.
UK vs Londoners
It is not just Londoners who think that live performance is… well, really lively and emotionally uplifting. Across the board, adults who live in the rest of the UK ranked every element of the study ahead of Londoners in impact and emotional resonance.
Why Do People Feel This Way?
What this data shows is that live performance offers a rare experience of giving someone or something your whole attention, and it allows for real connection — not within the realm of digital pixels but as analogue people. In an age where screens are at the start, middle, and end of almost every social interaction, it seems a no-brainer that people are seeking out real and live connections in the old-school format.
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