Stand Up NY, a comedy club on Broadway and 78th Street, has gotten creative during the pandemic. Because it can’t hold full-capacity shows indoors, it’s featured comedy in Central Park and other venues.
Now it’s starting a new venture — the “Temple of Laughter.” The first show is this Thursday at St. Paul & St. Andrew United Methodist Church on 86th and West End.
Covid-19 is rising in the city, and indoor events (where people may be guffawing) can be dangerous. Dani Zoldan, an owner, told us that the club is taking extra precautions.
“We’re taking safety very seriously including limiting capacity (the church is huge), social distancing, temperature checks and everyone will fill out waivers for contact tracing. Comedians will also have access to their own microphone (no sharing),” he wrote in an email. There are other requirements for audience members below.
Capacity is extremely limited so please reserve your spot ASAP on our website. We’ll also be enforcing strict COVID safety guidelines including:
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Masks must be worn at all times
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Social distancing
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Temperature checks
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Waivers must be filled out upon arrival for contact tracing
By “capacity is extremely limited,” do they mean they will sell only 3 tickets? There are 6 performers and 1 host. That leaves just 3 seats to comply with the 10 person cap on gatherings. Better to hold it outside in the park as before and sell handwarmers and whiskey shots on the DL.
More people are allowed in houses of worship.
That cap is for gatherings in people’s homes, not a big public venue.
I agree 100%.. keep it outdoors!
I’ve been wondering if the ceiling heights in most churches in any way mitigate against infection
Correction: Comedy clubs are not allowed to hold any indoor shows 🙁
i attended the show last night and it was loads of fun – from the cool pastor to the comics (most of whom were funny). granted, the settings were unusual but so what, got much needed laughs. hope there will be more upcoming shows
Eric—did contract tracing waiver you had to fill out involve anything about liability?