How Watching Theater Trains Your Brain: Inside the Neuroscience of Live Performance

In this episode of Scene in Boston, hosts Laura Amico and Lisa Thalhamer take a step back from individual productions to explore a bigger question: what's happening in our brains when we sit in an audience—and how do we get better at it? The episode features neuroscientist Antonia Hamilton, who studies social cognition and communication. She explains how watching live performance activates the parts of our brains responsible for reading emotion, intention, and behavior—and why those skills aren't passive, but learned. Theater, she argues, becomes a kind of training ground for attention and empathy, helping us practice how we understand other people. The conversation looks at how audiences interpret what's happening onstage—from facial expressions and tone of voice to pauses and physical movement—and how those signals build meaning in real time. Along the way, Laura and Lisa reflect on their own experiences as theatergoers, and how learning to "read" a performance can deepen the experience of being in the room. The hosts also discuss recent and upcoming productions in Boston, including shows with short runs that highlight both the richness and the challenges of keeping up with the city's theater scene. From experimental solo performances to new plays and returning productions, the episode offers a snapshot of what's on stage now—and why it's worth paying attention. Mentioned in this episode and on stage now/soon: Angry, Raucous and Shamelessly Gorgeous Lyric Stage Company of Boston Running March 20 – April 12, 2026 Charlotte's Web Wheelock Family Theater Running April 3-26 The Outsiders Broadway in Boston Running March 31-April12 The Antiquities SpeakEasy Stage Running March 6-28 Breaking the Code Central Square Theater April 2-26 Also Mentioned: The Things Around Us ArtsEmerson (now available as a recorded album) Dead as a DodoArtsEmerson Library Lion Calderwood Pavillion