Coronavirus: Rehearsals begin at the Troubadour Theatre with FRANKD covid testing on site
Jay McGuiness, Kimberley Walsh and Theo Collis star in SLEEPLESS at the Troubadour Wembley Park. Picture: Matt Crockett - Credit: Archant
Rehearsals are to begin at Wembley Park’s theatre with coronavirus testing on site.
SLEEPLESS, A Musical Romance, is due to start socially distanced indoor performances at the Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre from August 25.
In preparation a new accurate Covid-19 test is being used on cast, musicians, crew and theatre staff on a daily basis during rehearsals and during the run of the show.
Called FRANKD (Fast, Reliable, Accurate, Nucleic-based Kit for Covid19 Diagnostic Detection), the tests are carried out on-site, since the FRANKD technology does not require a laboratory.
Tests results are then sent directly to crew, cast and staff phones via a secure app within an hour of a swab being taken.
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FRANKD, recommended by the World Health Organisation for testing SARS-C ov-2,has been shown to have 100percent specificity and 97pc sensitivity for detecting SARS-CoV-2 according to independent laboratory tests.
Michael Rose and Damien Sanders, on behalf of Encore Theatre Productions, the producers of SLEEPLESS, said, “We are so excited to be leading the way for our industry and to be the first fully staged, indoor musical back up and running and we have been working around the clock to make it possible.
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Uppermost in our minds has been the safety of our cast and crew and this new fast and accurate technology from GeneMe allows us to lead the way once more with daily COVID testing of our cast and crew which can give everyone involved peace of mind and create a happy and safe working environment.
“This technology is currently being trialled by airports, government departments, sports teams and multinational companies in the UK and we are delighted to be the first to trial the system in the theatre and live event industry.”
SLEEPLESS, A Musical Romance is based on the romcom classic Sleepless in Seattle, and stars Jay McGuiness as widower Sam and Kimberley Walsh as Annie.
The spacious venue means that there will be no physical contact between the staff and audience and that social distance measures can be strictly obeyed. Audiences will be temperature checked on entering the building and must wear face masks.
