Like restaurants, the entertainment industry has been hit hard by COVID-19. After all, how do you hold a concert or film a TV show while maintaining social distancing? In the first months of the pandemic, it was certainly too dangerous. But with better testing protocols and availability and some modifications, many individual entertainers, as well as television shows, casinos, and other facilities, have been able to reopen. The key to their success: plenty of precautions combined with creativity – and it’s given us all something to look forward to.

DJs Go Digital

When you think of reasons you might hire a DJ, you think of events like weddings and sweet 16s, the types of events canceled or significantly scaled down by the pandemic. Unlike conventional concerts, though, it seemed a little odd for DJs to perform from home. Would people really listen to a DJ without the festive setting the way they might watch a more traditional concert or stream a movie? As it turns out, yes. 

DJs were surprised to find that, when they moved their performances online, people came out in droves. In fact, using additional types of technology, people gathered together within video games or using virtual reality to reenact the club experience. For small DJs, this variation on live shows made up for critical lost revenue, while for the biggest names in the industry, their cachet made it possible to turn their digital performances into high value COVID-19 fundraisers.

Reviving Sin City 

Las Vegas is a city built around entertainment, from live performers to gambling and restaurants, and none of these things are ideal pandemic activities. Still, the city couldn’t give up and go dark forever. Instead, like other entertainment venues, casinos got to work developing safety protocols. In addition to standard COVID-19 practices like mask wearing and temperature checks, properties have eliminated buffet-style meals, switched to all digital room keys, and installed handwashing stations throughout the casinos. They’ve also modified table games to keep people further apart, and added space between slot machines. 

Another key tool for keeping casino visitors safe? Installing glass screens throughout casinos. Identical to what you would see in grocery stores or doctors’ offices are popping up everywhere, including casino counters, tables, and shows. A good barrier is the best tool against transmission, so it’s no surprise that they’re everywhere.

No COVID On Set 

For many people, one of the highlights of the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic was watching late night TV hosts figure out how to host their shows from home. What started out extremely messy, with bad sound, technological struggles, and no props steadily transformed into compelling television. Even SNL figured out how to do sketch comedy remotely. As the fall TV season starts, though, many shows have determined that it’s safe to return to the studio with limited staff and few or no guests, with individual late-night hosts returning first and larger groups returning as the weeks go on. Bringing performers back to set isn’t as easy as ensuring they’re wearing masks, social distancing, and receiving regular tests, though, as SNL’s return revealed. 

Part of what makes SNL special is the live studio audience, and an audience is important to comedy. The performers need the feedback, but New York State’s strict rules about who can be present on set represented a challenge. In order to get around restrictions that technically didn’t permit an audience, ticket holders not only needed to be prescreened, tested, and wear masks, but they were actually paid to attend, essentially acting as honorary employees for the evening – a creative solution, indeed!

Obviously, every type of entertainment venue encounters different types of challenges as they work to return to business as usual, and many will experience challenges and setbacks. Even with all their precautions, SNL was forced to change musical performers just days before the second show of the season because the scheduled performer was seen partying on social media without a mask. The good news for the various venues and performance styles, though, is that they all get to learn from each other, and as the pandemic carries on, we’re all willing to be a little more flexible if it means getting even a taste of what life was like before.