Stage | The Guardian: Science has proved what theatre and concert-goers have long known. When it comes to emotional impact, watching a live performance is so much more thrilling than a version on screen.
Scientists from University College London (UCL) measured heart rates and sweat glands of audience members as they watched both theatre productions and films. They found that heart rates go up and down with the narrative arc of a story and that the highs are highest and lows lowest at a live show.
14 comments:
The results of this research are not surprising. However, it was very interesting to learn about how heart rates synchronized with other audience members! Half of the show is how the audience reacts. Some of the most spectacular performances I’ve seen came when the audience was feeding back the energy the performers were giving off (and the same goes for the reverse, else audience energy, more subpar performance) I would love to see this study done with another show. Though it might be hard to find one like Dreamgirls because of the differences from stage to film versions. I found this article very insightful and I liked to see the overlap of science and the arts. Understanding emotions and how entertainment affects audience members is a very interesting subject. While the final statement about heart rate and making the heartbeat similar to that of doing 28 minutes cardio exercise is interesting, I don’t think watching live theater is gonna make anyone lose the freshman 15 (I have yet to meet someone who has experienced that though)
I am not surprised by the results of this study. However, I find it interesting that the article says that they only had 70 participants, and that larger groups matter in the emotional response of the group to theater or film. I wonder why they only used 70 participants if the science suggests that a larger group is better. I did think it was interesting that the heart rates of audience members were synchronized with each other. I wonder if their heartbeats were in time with the music of the show as well. It was also interesting that their previous study in 2017 suggested that watching a live production of Dream Girls stimulates the cardiovascular system as much as 28 mins of healthy cardio, which is incredible to think about. It could be possible that this is contingent on the show that you watch, however, I can imagine that the average time of cardio is more than I think. Maybe instead of going to the gym to more people should go to the theater.
The results of the study conducted made the most sense to me because of what they constitute. Live shows have always had an extra edge over televised event because of the adrenaline rush that engulfs people as they are in the moment in the event for which they are very excited which is not necessarily the case with televised events because it lacks the incentive to truly enjoy the event from sitting behind a television set because of the absence of live reactions. A live show has so much to offer to its audiences to the point that they are on the edge with each passing moment of the event and that is essentially what they are their for.
That is why the results of the study conducted are the most expected because they essentially deal with these aspects which everyone is aware of because they serve as an incentive for the people to attend these live shows in person and actually enjoy the show in its true form.
I guess we all knew like theater more for one reason or another because we’re here in theater school instead of film school. The article mentioned how the audience feels greater emotional swings when they see a piece of live theater, but it didn’t really mention the thrill that it gives the actors and crew. We all know there’s something special about live theater and that’s why I at least want to be a part of it. The article also mentioned that their heart beats synced up, which is pretty crazy that humans can do that. I think I’ve always known that things are funnier in large groups of people, but this article re-emphasized it because we take our social cues from the other people that are around us. That being said, I think things can be really funny or emotional in smaller groups because it’s easier to have a connection with the people around you, so I’m sure there’s some sort of happy medium.
The results of this study obviously don't surprise me (or most of us, for that matter). I think, like some other commenters said, this study doesn't just apply to an audience. The reason why I love making theatre as much as (if not more than) watching it is because of the thrill. Something about the idea of the possibility of your screw up being un-take-back-able (wow, what a fake word. I can't currently think of a word that expresses that feeling) is horrifyingly exciting. That's something that I feel may translate to an audience too. When you watch a movie, you know they chose their best takes, took the time to edit as best they could, etc. before it made it to your screen. In theatre, it's raw; it's real; it's live. Anything can go wrong at any moment. The actors are there, tangible, 3D, right before your eyes. There's nothing quite like it I don't think.
Live shows really are an experience. The results make sense. There’s a sort of adrenaline that pumps through you when you see something live. While I do agree that the ambiance of the theater contributes to the heightened emotional response, I feel like it’s also because there is a sort of amazement that exists when you watch a good live show. My experience is kind of different because it’s not from watching a film vs. live show but it reminds me of when I went to see Hamilton for the first time. At that point, I’ve been listening to the soundtrack for 4 years and I pretty much cried through the entire performance, even though the parts that aren’t sad. The environment of the theater space definitely made me excited but also I just had this amazement and disbelief that I was there. Like Bru in her comment above, I do wonder why the sample size of this study was only 70 people though. It seems odd since the study concludes that the heightened heart rate at a live show is due to a large audience surrounding.
I absolutely understand why researchers at University College of London got this type of data through their experiment. There is a clear division between the action and yourself while you are watching a film. That said, I am interested to see how much higher (or lower?) heart rates are for 3D movies over 2D movies. Regardless, live plays and musicals add that social aspect, so the action involves the audience just with spacing. The fourth wall only does so much. Also, the responses of the sweat glands is an interesting thing to measure. I recently saw Miss Saigon for the first time, and I know that I was on the edge of my seat during all of the fighting--especially when the real helicopter came in. It’s all very interesting the ways in which we invest ourselves into what we see. Also, the article mentions that this technology could be used in designing political rallies, so I look forward to seeing that research applied in that context.
There is no doubt about this article. I feel my heart racing not only during the show, but before the show, when I think of what is about to start: a performance that is never the same twice. Sometimes, I get nervous as an audience, or a participant, as if I’m an actor. Live shows definitely have a tense atmosphere that none of movie theatres have. I would like to know further about how “the size of the audience had an impact on emotional responses,” because I do not think the size of the audience is in proportion to the emotional response. While larger audience could have larger enthusiasm, shows with a small audience, which requires deeper audience engagement, could have greater impact on each individual’s emotional response. If productions could be shaped according to such data analysis, I think it could be also applied to help people with mental disturbance through theatre.
I have heard before that the audience members' hearts all synchronize when at a live performance but I have never heard about the amplifications of heart rates for live theatre audience members. I sometimes think about why theatre is still so popular when there are movies and tv. It seems like in a society that is changing so much and becoming so dependent on technology that something as personal and raw and theatre would start to lose popularity. But I always come back to the idea that there is something about seeing live theatre that is just different from a movie. I have never really been able to put my finger on what is so different, but I think this article got it. There really is nothing like seeing a live performance with a live audience and experiences all of the emotions of the story along with the actors and the other audience members.
Reading this article directly after reading an article about how artificial intelligence will replace human musicians was a little jarring because of the juxtaposing positions, but I think this article backs my statements in the previous. There is something so valuable about human connection in communal spaces especially when that human connection goes through the form of art and can be experienced physically in person. I don’t really know if anyone is going to get a full work out from watching a piece of theatre, but I think there is something to be said about the amount of energy and adrenaline that comes from the shared experience of live entertainment. You react off of the people around you, and the people around you react off of you. And in the same way those reactions are fueled by the energy that is radiating off the stage from performers. Shared experiences are what make us human, which is why they are so valuable.
This is really cool. The concept of entrainment has a variety of really cool areas of research, and it makes sense that it applies here. All sorts of physiological rhythms sync to outside stimuli, like breathing and heart rate syncing to music and other similar interactions. It is kind of bewildering that we eventually sync our heartbeats though: you have to wonder how that stimulus is actually being transmitted between people. Maybe it's through our breathing, but I wonder if it's more direct than that, if it's infrasonics or even something crazy like magnetic flux generated by the electrical pulse in the heart. If so, I wonder if this might be manipulated by designers in the future. If it's infrasonic sound that we're entraining to, then a clever sound designer with a really big subwoofer might achieve incredibly powerful and subtle emotional responses by pumping the room with a pulse lower than we can hear but that our hearts can just barely detect. It could be really cool.
I love how this article highlights the emotional response of an audience to a production. While I do not fully understand the science behind it, the results are not surprising, and I too have felt that rush of emotion while watching live theatre. What I want to highlight is the exhilaration of the cast and crew. From a backstage perspective (and sometimes from an audience perspective, if you are an actor or tech or just a particularly astute patron), the reaction of the audience, the flow and function of technical aspects, and the fluctuations in actors' nuances from night to night also bring on a rush. Sometimes you don't know if something will go terribly wrong or if it will resonate especially with an audience, and I think that's what keeps me going on my live theatre career track. It is all the possibilities that make this industry so compelling.
The results of this study are fascinating. Though, I can’t say I’m entirely surprised. I mean, I’ve sat in a theatre audience before and felt all these things, but this article took the experience and put it into words. I think it’s important to note that film and live theatre both conjure up emotional reactions, but the point being made here is that the nature of live theatre being live and a social event amplifies the effects. I really do think it’s the live buzz that helps me get emotionally invested in a show. Being surrounded by people who each experience it a different way and react differently heighten the situation for me. The buzz of discussion as everyone moves out of the theatre during the intermission and as they leave at the end. Also, knowing the performance is live, and that it could be slightly different each night helps peak my emotions during a performance. I definitely agree with the point towards the end of the article, that the size of the audience helps, but I don’t think it’s entirely dependent. I feel like I’d be equally involved in the live performance if I was a part of a 30 person audience in the round and 1000 person audience in a larger space—different experiences, but still involved.
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