RWS Entertainment Group, a New York-based full-service production company that creates branded experiences worldwide, has announced key protocols which will govern both the reopening of its New York City rehearsal complex and return to live experience production. The initiative is in partnership with CrowdRX, a team of emergency physicians and public safety experts who specialise in mitigating health risks during mass gatherings. With direct input from CrowdRX’s national medical director Dr. Matt Friedman, who has served as the medical director for Madison Square Garden, the U.S. Open, and Burning Man, RWS has developed the Health and Hygiene Protocol for Performing Artists to standardise the safety and protection of performers in the live entertainment industry worldwide.
“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. Friedman. “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.”
“We rely on our partners like RWS, to help our entertainment team in the production of our live experiences,” says Thomas Mack, managing director at theme park and resort Europa-Park. “RWS is effectively helping us to bring these experiences to our consumers in a timely, fun and safe way.”
The Health and Hygiene Protocol for Performing Artists is a practical guide for talent and entertainment operators and sets the bar for safe rehearsals and performances. These health and sanitation procedures have been explicitly catered to the needs of the entertainment industry and include recommendations for unique 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.
RWS Studios will follow these guidelines, requiring all who enter to pass through a non-invasive temperature check and mask verification screening, as well as carrying out electrostatic disinfection in all its rehearsal rooms multiple times daily.
“I’m excited to get back to creating art,” said choreographer Lorin Latarro (Waitress, Mrs. Doubtfire). “RWS always exemplifies an organized and conscientious company, and its safety precautions will surely be a top priority carried out with integrity.”
“In designing these protocols with CrowdRX, it was imperative that we provide a space that’s safe for both the physical and mental health of performers,” says Ryan Stana, CEO of RWS Entertainment Group. “RWS feels an inherent responsibility to our industry as a whole to get it right—the first time. We want to show performers and our audiences that there is a way they can safely return to the live experiences we all miss so much.”
