The Neuroscience Behind SING!: What Makes a Play Good?

As Stuyvesant’s SING! season has come and gone, one question may linger in the minds of those participating in the show and those in the audience: what makes a play truly captivating? When asked this question, most will default to crediting talented actors from the cast or a beautiful stage from Props or Tech. However, an equally important but often overlooked factor is how specific elements of a play interact with the viewer’s brain. Elements such as suspense, empathy, lighting, and music do much more than simply enhance the show aesthetically—they work deep down to trigger specific brain regions and hormones that influence the audience’s engagement and satisfaction.

One of the key components of a compelling play is suspense. Audiences are naturally drawn to the unknown, making suspenseful moments and unanswered questions powerful tools for capturing attention. When a story introduces uncertainty, the brain’s initial, natural response is to release adrenaline, the “fight or flight” hormone triggered by feelings of surprise. This adrenaline subsequently triggers the release of chemicals such as endorphins and dopamine, neurotransmitters associated with anticipation and reward in the brain. These chemical releases motivate the audience to focus on a play and make them anticipate the satisfaction that comes with resolving the unknown. So, while adrenaline often appears in stressful situations and may have a negative connotation, this hormone, along with the subsequent feel-good hormones it releases, ultimately makes the feeling pleasurable; viewers know they are not truly in danger,  changing the body’s stress response into excitement instead. Over time, the brain starts to associate suspense with positive feelings, encouraging viewers to stay engaged not only through the end of a play but also through sequels or future productions. 

Another less apparent but equally important factor in deepening emotional resonance in a play is empathy, which allows the audience to emotionally connect with characters and their stories. Neuroscience research suggests that when people observe someone else experiencing an action or emotion, certain neurons, often referred to as ‘mirror neurons,’ can fire, effectively allowing the observer to empathize with the character onstage. However, audience reactions depend on context; mirror neurons are most likely to fire only when the observer can connect with and truly understand the character’s intentions. Thus, in the context of a play, the certainty of drawing the strongest effects from an audience lies in the producer’s ability to strategically portray actions that are relatable and understandable to the audience during key moments. When empathy is successfully incorporated, the audience will be able to sympathize with characters facing diverse circumstances despite a lack of similar personal experiences. This allows audiences to feel a character’s journey as meaningful rather than distant, promoting engagement. However, relatable internal themes, such as struggling with failure or self-doubt, can activate this empathic response more strongly, allowing the audience to further see aspects of themselves in the characters. 

Along with mirror neurons, oxytocin also plays a central role in deepening this emotional bond. Oxytocin, also called the love hormone or bonding hormone, is associated with feelings of trust, bonding, and connection. Levels of this hormone can peak when a storyline emphasizes moments of vulnerability, sacrifice, or emotional intimacy, making the viewer more likely to care about characters and eliciting strong reactions from the audience, such as crying.

In addition to plot and characterization, visuals, especially lighting, have a powerful influence on how the brain processes a play. Light exposure can affect alertness and cognitive performance by activating regions in the brain that regulate circadian rhythms and attention. Bright light, for instance, can help audiences feel more awake and focused, which is useful in keeping the audience engaged during important scenes. Different colors of light can also subtly affect mood. Some studies suggest that certain colors, such as red, may be associated with higher arousal or tension, while others, such as blue, are often linked to calmness. By carefully choosing lighting colors and intensities, directors can guide the emotional atmosphere of each scene.

Last but not least, music is one of the most powerful tools a play can use to influence the brain. Music has been shown to affect mood and emotional state by engaging areas such as the amygdala and hippocampus, which are involved in emotional processing and memory, respectively. Different types of music—fast or slow, major or minor, loud or soft—can evoke feelings ranging from excitement and joy to sadness and nostalgia. When these musical moments are paired with key scenes in a play, they intensify the emotional processing and impact in the amygdala and help those moments become more memorable through processing by the hippocampus. This connection between music and memory is especially important. Because the hippocampus helps link experiences with context, an induced memory, such as a particular song or melody heard during a strong emotional scene, can be processed by the amygdala and later trigger the recall of that scene and its feelings. This explains why certain songs from a musical or film can instantly bring back vivid images of specific characters or events, making a play especially memorable.

When viewed through a deeper lens, many seemingly simple factors within a play induce complex neurological pathways that determine what makes a play especially enjoyable. The brain interacts with each of these elements by releasing dopamine during suspense, engaging mirror neurons and oxytocin during empathetic moments, activating emotional and hormonal systems in intense scenes, and using light and sound to influence mood and memory. By understanding how these components affect the nervous system, it becomes clear that an especially memorable SING! performance is not simply seen or heard, but also biologically engineered to resonate in the brain.