RWS Entertainment Group, the production company behind a 56,000-square foot rehearsal studio in Long Island City, has revealed the new health and safety protocols that will govern the reopening of its New York City complex in the wake of the public health crisis. The measures, detailed in the video above, include requiring all who enter to pass through a non-invasive temperature check and mask verification screening and carrying out electrostatic disinfection in all its rehearsal rooms multiple times daily.
RWS is currently open for select activities, with a full reopening planned for September.
To aid in the standardization of the safety and protection of performers in the live entertainment industry worldwide, RWS has turned its own measures into a practical guide titled Health and Hygiene Protocol for Performing Artists. The guide includes recommendations for specific entertainment industry-related situations including costume character sanitation, performer PPE requirements, performer and musician physical distancing, backstage crew sanitation guidelines as well as protocol for immersive activations and experiences. Anyone interested in viewing the guide can email [email protected].
READ: Inside the Newly Expanded RWS Studios, a Theatrical One-Stop Shop in Queens
The initiative was created in partnership with CrowdRX, a team of emergency physicians and public safety experts who specialize in mitigating health risks during mass gatherings.
“When RWS came to me with this challenge, we started with the CDC public health safety guidelines—but we didn’t stop there,” says Dr. Matt Friedman, CrowdRX’s national medical director. “Live production calls for additional measures that we tailored specifically for the safety of both the performers and the audience in the experiential entertainment industry.”
In addition to running the large rehearsal studio complex in New York, RWS creates branded stage shows and experiences for resorts, cruise lines, theme parks, corporate events, and more.