Brain Fitness, And Musical Theater

MikeMac has an interesting post regarding a study concerning the benefits to the brain of doing theater:

The team argues that their results demonstrate that theater training -- even over a relatively short time period -- can help prevent cognitive decline associated with aging. They even speculate on some of the reasons why it is effective: Theater, they claim, requires sustained attention to the task in a way that other activities do not. Actors must stay in character for the duration of a scene, unlike studying visual art, where viewers might "rest" in between viewing different images. Also, the participants consistently remarked that theater was "new" to them, and novelty appears to be a key component of brain fitness.

I think there is a lot to this idea. Theater exercises many cognitive functions, often simultaneously.

Personal examples abound. For example, in the last scene change in DMTC's "Annie Get Your Gun" (which opens tonight), I wrap a blanket around my shoulders and try not to knock my hat off while walking across a stage scattered with occasional obstacles that is rapidly being filled by people, including running children - in the dark. Despite not speaking, singing, or dancing at all, brainwise, there is a lot going on with all this multitasking. Start layering the other activities on, and the brain has to fight to retain control, no doubt developing all kinds of alternative neural pathways and fail-safe methods in order to do so. The alternative pathways might help delay the onset of illnesses like Alzheimer's Disease.

For myself, musical theater helps with my inability to recall names, not only by providing an arena where there are many people whom I don't know very well (Bill? Bob? Sorry, Betty!), but separate, new character names for all these unfamiliar people as well. Oh joy! Find some new memory for that overloaded name buffer!

The limitation of theater is fatigue. Sleep often goes by the wayside while adhering to rigorous theater schedules, and nothing cripples cognition like lack of sleep. Crap diets don't help either.

The well-rested thespian on a proper diet is a step above common humanity, a wonder of nature, a black-belt brainiac!