SEPTEMBER | FEATURE
A new
blueprint
for live
A group of touring industry
leaders has put together a
set of guidelines for socially
distanced concerts. Access
breaks down the 35-page
document to pull out some key
recommendations.
Words: Stuart Wood
Since the announcement that
indoor concerts were able
to resume from 15 August,
attention has turned to the logistics
of reopening. How can venues and
production teams safely hold socially
distanced concerts, and how will
they need to be scaled as the threat
level of Covid-19 changes?
Senior figures in the touring
industry have come together to try
and provide some answers to these
questions. The Production Services
Association Touring Production
Group (PSA TPG) is comprised of
tour professionals who have worked
behind the scenes on concerts for
Madonna, Queen, Adele, Take That,
BST Hyde Park, Lollapalooza and
many more.
The guidelines provide an
overview of how shows can be
planned, and risks mitigated as much
as possible, with regards to Covid-19.
The full document can be viewed at
https://bit.ly/2Q2nrJE.
Sam Smith’s production manager
Wob Roberts, who was involved
in creating the guidelines, says,
“Covid-19 is an unwelcome addition
to the rider yet there’s no better
group of people to find the solution
than those that deliver shows for a
living. More than a document, this
is intended to be a responsive set of
protocols that efficiently move with a
changing environment.”
BST Hyde Park production
director, Mark Ward, who also
contributed to the guidelines, says,
“From an industry whose timeless
motto is ‘the show must go on’, the
pandemic has been a devastating
blow – both economically and for the
mental wellbeing of the huge number
of people who work behind the
scenes. These new documents offer
many of the answers those people are
searching for.”
Assessing the risks
The first step before staging any
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