Return to Stage and Performing Arts

Return to Stage and Performing Arts Guidance (Updated 09/01/22)

NEW! 9/1/22: SDC releases updated COVID-19 Safety Guidance and a further streamlined COVID-19 Safety Rider for use by all companies—not just those having 100% vaccination rates. Click here to access the new COVID-19 Safety Rider which incorporates the details of the updated guidance.

3/21/22: SDC issues Updated Guidance for the Performing Arts as the latest companion piece to the AGMA/SDC Return to Stage and Performing Arts Playbook. Click here to access these new guidelines which uses the CDC’s Community Level metrics (Low, Medium, & High) to determine the necessary safety protocols that productions must follow in order to maintain a safe working environment.

8/11/21: SDC issues Guidance on COVID-19 Delta Variant, the second companion piece to the Playbook. Click here to access these guidelines which adjust protocols to address the current surge in cases across the country and the more infectious, highly transmissible Delta variant.

5/24/21: SDC and AGMA issue Special Guidance on Vaccinations and Testing, the first companion piece to the Playbook. Click here to access these updated guidelines. The complete Playbook is available below.

Return to Stage and Performing Arts Playbook (Revised 03/02/21)

© AGMA & SDC 8/10/20, rev: 8/24/20, 10/8/20, 3/2/21

SDC and AGMA (American Guild of Musical Artists) originally released their AGMA/SDC Return to Stage and Performing Arts Playbook (Playbook) on August 10, 2020. Three updated versions were subsequently released as we learned more and the virus evolved, with the most recent version being dated March 2, 2021. The Playbook is now supplemented by the additional and more recent guidance documents shared above.

The overarching goal of the Playbook is to help performing arts organizations craft their own safety plans so that SDC Members and AGMA artists can safely return to work. The AGMA/SDC Return to Stage and Performing Arts Playbook helps to address the unique challenges of singing, dancing, stage managing, choreographing, and directing by outlining the layers of protection necessary to mitigate risks.

Notably, the Playbook presents a step-by-step approach to reopening built on five levels linked to the prevalence of COVID-19 in the community and allows for increasing activities based on clear criteria. The key is ensuring proper space and ventilation for the activity involved, augmented by a foundation of consistent and thorough hygiene practices and regular testing.

SDC and AGMA have been working with medical experts Dr. Mark Cunningham-Hill, Dr. Steven J. Anderson, and Dr. Laura S. Welch since June 2020. These experts have decades’ worth of experience in protecting the health of employees and maintaining healthy workplaces.

The Playbook is a living document and we will continue to support the memberships of SDC and AGMA with refinements to the Playbook as new information comes to light.  Please note the version date above and on the Playbook.

About the Medical Experts

Dr. Mark Cunningham-Hill led the response to SARS, MERS, Zika, and Ebola for GlaxoSmithKline and Johnson & Johnson and is now aiding international and U.S.-based companies in navigating through this pandemic. A transformative senior executive and expert physician, his experience spans Occupational Medicine, Wellness, Mental Wellbeing, Work-Life Effectiveness, Personal Energy Management, Digital Health Technologies, Occupational Health and Hygiene Risk Management, and Well Building Design.

Dr. Laura S. Welch is an occupational medicine specialist, board certified in internal medicine and occupational medicine, licensed to practice in DC and Maryland, and consultant. With over 30 years of experience, she has the acute ability to analyze the physical, mental, and social wellbeing of both groups of people and individuals, to best promote health and safety in the workplace. For 15 years she served as medical director at the Center to Protect Workers Rights (CPWR), a research institute affiliated with the Building and Construction Trades department of the AFL-CIO. She has served as a consultant to many federal agencies, including OSHA and the CDC. Dr. Welch has worked with several union-management committees on health and safety issues, including United Auto Workers-Boeing. She continues to frequently provide occupational medicine expertise to the AFL-CIO.

Dr. Steven J. Anderson is a renowned sports medicine doctor who has provided medical care for the Pacific Northwest Ballet, the United States Diving Team, NCAA and Pac 12 sports, and numerous local high schools and club teams. Dr. Anderson has served as Chair of the Committee on Sports Medicine and Fitness for the American Academy of Pediatrics and has been a Seattle Magazine and/or Seattle Metropolitan Magazine “Top Doctor” on multiple occasions.

If you have questions, please contact Contracts@SDCweb.org.

Additional Safety Resources can be found here.

SDC COVID-19 Safety Protocol Review Process (Updated 9/1/22)

For All Companies (NEW!) :

1. SDC has updated its COVID-19 Safety Protocol Guidelines in response to the current stage of the pandemic, CDC guidance, and recommendations from the SDC Expert Medical Advisory Board.
2. The SDC COVID-19 Safety Plan Rider can be used by all companies not just those having 100% vaccination rates. Please review the updates that are outlined within the Rider.
3. Employers and Members must sign the SDC COVID-19 Safety Plan Rider as part of the SDC contract, which requires the employer to affirm they have implemented the required layers of protection against the spread of COVID-19 in their workplace and are aware of SDC’s additional recommendations. This rider must be returned to SDC along with the appropriate contract.