Hello Friends,

You’re sitting with your friends and family in the theater, anxiously waiting for the curtain to open. Your heart is racing as the house lights lower to darkness and the show begins. You hold your breath as the performer takes center stage and is washed in the warm glow of the stage lights. You eagerly look around to see the excited faces of your neighbors. Are they feeling the same thing?

“New research led by the University College London’s (UCL) Division of Psychological and Language Sciences has found that watching a live performance can synchronize your heartbeat with other people in the audience, regardless of if you know them or not.” Not only that, but the peaks and valleys of the emotional ride are intensified when experiencing a performance live versus through other mediums.

The Emerson Center for the Arts & Culture offers multiple opportunities, not only for performers of all abilities to take center stage, but for our fabulous community to come together in celebration of all styles of performance art! You are welcome here!

With gratitude,
Susan Denson-Guy
Executive Director