THE ROLE OF THE PERFORMING ARTS IN IMPROVING AND MAINTAINING OUR WELL-BEING DURING & POST-COVID PANDEMIC

This editorial presents some key domains with explorations of the benefits of the Performing Arts and how these can be practically applied globally across our current COVID pandemic landscape and beyond. More than ever before there is a need to acknowledge that, despite complex logistics and ethical and economic issues in delivering effective performing arts programs for health and well-being, its evidence-based benefits cover a range of disciplines, from psychology to anthropology, sociology to medicine making the approaches transdisciplinary, and enriching end-users lives throughout, but not exclusively, in their coproduction. Performing arts programs may also offer the way for alternative solutions and pathways where conventional approaches may have reached the end of the road and helping to embed biopsychosocial models of wellbeing promotion through social prescribing. The COVID pandemic has offered the opportunity to revisit how we look at prevention, promotion, management, and treatment of ill-health in unprecedented adversity. This editorial hopes to start this important conversation.