Arti performative, teatro applicato e sociale e salute: le attuali evidenze scientifiche

The article presents the main results from research on the relationship between the arts -particularly the performing ones – and health, broadly understood as «a state of physical, psychological, and social well-being» (World Health Organization, 1948). The research takes as its reference the report published in 2019 by World Health Organization, which collected and synthesized global-level evidence published between 2000 and 2019, whose main findings are summarized. Building on this milestone publica-tion, the contribution delves into the specific contribution to health provid-ed by the active engagement in performing arts activities. Evidence gained from a scoping review regarding the efficacy of applied and social theatre are reported. Their effectiveness in different areas of health is presented. To contribute to the scientific recognition of the efficacy of the engagement of such activities, a reflection is devoted to how it is possible to evaluate the impact of applied and social theatre’s experiences on health. Thus, the eval-uation tools reported in the studies considered are presented, along with some considerations about their use and effectiveness. Finally, some indi-cations of major challenges and needs for this area of research are drawn.