Good morning 👋🏼 I’ve had the great fortune of connecting with so many new faces and friends as a result of the things I’ve been sharing here, and because I’m dreadfully existential—I couldn’t help but wonder why any of us even care 🙃

It’s like when someone brings up the moon, and suddenly you’re contemplating the ever-expanding black void of the Universe? Just me? Greatcoolawesome.

So this week I thought it would be worth zooming out (just a little, not galaxy level) and connecting the dots of the constellation that is our shared loved of this thing, what this thing even is, and how it informs the work we do.

Ready? Me neither!

⚡Lightning in a Bottle

There’s a thing that happens in a theatre that also happens at concerts, dinner tables, and even sporting events (sporting events?) It’s the moment we’re so swept up in the present moment that we lose our sense of self and merge into the energy of the group.

If it’s starting to sound woo-woo, that’s because it is! It’s formally called Collective Effervescence and I am so obsessed with this concept that when I write my first book (#manifesting) it will, for sure, be about this psychological phenomenon.

And I didn't just make it up—it came from the mind of French sociologist Émile Durkheim who coined the term in 1912 to describe the shared emotional electricity that crackles through a group of people experiencing the same thing at the same time.

The wild part? He was studying religious ceremonies when he noticed it—but honestly I’m a loyal member of the churches (or synagogues shout-out to my tribe) of RENT, WICKED, and LEGALLY BLONDE just to name a few.

The first time I felt it was at a community theatre performance of JOSEPH AND THE TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT. I was suddenly a part of something bigger than myself, and it changed the course of my life (THE DRAMA!) I wanted to bottle up that feeling and chug it. And everything I’ve done or created since then has been in pursuit of sparking more moments of Collective Effervescence.

So why does it happen? Let’s ask our trusty friend: science!

🪄The Magic Trick

Neuroscientists have found that when we experience something emotionally powerful as a group, our neural patterns actually begin to sync up—it’s a process called "neural entrainment."

There are three key ingredients that have to come together:

1. Shared Attention: Everyone is focused on the same thing. (This is why Karen unwrapping a candy wrapper during the quiet moment can literally break the spell.)

2. Boundary Loss: That feeling where you stop being so aware of yourself as an individual and start feeling merged with the group.

3. Emotional Contagion: We're not just thinking the same things—our bodies are literally syncing up. Scientists have measured matching heart rates, breathing patterns, and even neural oscillations (brain waves) among audience members. It's like we're all tuning to the same emotional frequency.

When these three elements click into place, something almost alchemical happens. The energy in the room shifts. Time feels different. And that's when the magic (Collective Effervescence) takes hold.

Cool, right? And you won’t believe the ripple effects this sh*t has…

INTERMISSION

Okay wait—I’m actually obsessed with this week’s sponsor.

If you’re a creator, marketer, or edit any kind of video or audio content and you haven’t heard of descript, I am thrilled to be the one to introduce it to you.

It has completely changed my entire workflow. That TikTok article would never have been possible had it not been for descript’s insanely fast transcribing features. Making captioned clips for the podcast is stupid easy now.

And can I tell you a secret? I use descript’s AI tools to pull highlights from interviews I do—I can tell it what I’m looking for, how long I want the clip to be, and it spits out insanely good results.

I could truly go on and on, but I’ll just encourage you to try it for yourself—I think you’ll fall in love.

🚪Outside The Room Where it Happens

So we've got this powerful, scientifically-proven phenomenon happening inside theaters. But what makes Collective Effervescence so fascinating (and valuable) is what happens after everyone leaves the building.

When people experience something together—with that full emotional contagion thing happening—they don't just remember it better. They become evangelists for it. That person who saw SUNSET BLVD and won't stop talking about it? They're not just excited about Tom Francis covered in fake blood; they're actually trying to recreate a sliver of that shared emotional high.

This is where “Theatre Magic” becomes rocket fuel for word-of-mouth marketing. People who experience Collective Effervescence during a show are:

• More likely to tell others about their experience (and in more vivid detail)

• More emotionally invested in sharing the experience with others

• More likely to return to experience it again

• More connected to the larger community around the show

Think about the last time you saw something that gave you actual chills. Did you immediately text someone about it? Post about it? Insist your friends see it? That's not just excitement—it's your brain trying to extend and share that feeling of connection.

And in our current world of endless digital noise and filtered experiences, these authentic, shared emotional moments have become even more powerful.

“But Matt—how do we do that?” I thought you’d never ask.

💫 Making Magic

While there's no guaranteed formula for how we spark Collective Effervescence IRL and online, there are some key elements we can control:

Attention: Create moments that command focus. It's about making people stop their physical (or mental) scroll and take in whatever is in front of them.

Engagement: Transform observers into participants. Whether it's through shared reactions in a comment section or collective gasps in a theater, create touchpoints that let people know they're not experiencing this alone.

Resonance: Tap into what makes us human. It’s not just the stories we tell—it can be the rhythm of how we tell them. When the flow is right, we can bypasses conscious barriers and connect straight to people’s core.

Novelty: Make "you had to be there" moments. That feeling of being early to something special, of discovering something fresh—it's not about exclusivity; it's the thrill of being present when something unique unfolds.

Community: Give people permission to fully show up. In practice, this means building inclusive environments where people know their whole selves are safe, seen, and welcome.

The thing about Collective Effervescence is that it can't be forced—but it can be fostered. These elements are less like a recipe and more like ingredients. And once you start looking, you’ll begin seeing them everywhere.

In the end, we're not just creating content or performances or marketing campaigns. We're building spaces and making moments for people to feel that thing we all felt the first time—that we’re all inherently a part of something big, weird, and f*cking wonder-full.

Can you tell how much I love this stuff?

Thanks for sticking with me and making it all the way to the end.

I appreciate you more than I can say.

See you next week! ♥️