Berenice Beverley Zammit
As the COVID-19 lockdown eases worldwide and pub gardens and shops reopen, we are all eagerly awaiting the reopening of theatres and concert halls in the coming weeks.
More than a year has passed in which government measures and public health recommendations have enforced lockdowns and restrictions to help reduce the transmission of COVID-19. These restrictions have had profound effects on performing arts professionals. In the UK, performing venues have been shut for a number of months and any in person artistic engagement has been prohibited, forcing it to either stop entirely or move online from the confines of home. A study by Spiro et al. (2021) investigating the effects of the first COVID-19 lockdown on UK performing arts professionals, reported that 96% of performing artists had spent less time in performing, 90% spent less time in conducting / directing / producing, and 73% spent less time in teaching / coaching / workshop leading / mentoring. Averaging across all areas of work, 71% of performing artists spent less time working than before.