By Charly Shelton

With theme parks closed and live events largely canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, themed entertainment is pretty much non-existent right now. Into this desolate market came the “Stranger Things Drive-Into Experience” – a live theatre event viewed from the comfort of a car, based on the popular Netflix program, with no interaction between the audience and performers. It received rave reviews from the media and, through word of mouth, from those who had ventured into the Upside Down. But in the world of COVID, even an event such as this can be met with trepidation when weighing the positives of the fun event with the negatives of the inherent risk of going outside the home during a pandemic. But La Crescenta resident and COVID-19 compliance officer for the “Stranger Things Drive-Into Experience,” Shelley Ladd, hopes to assuage the fears of would-be guests.

“[Setting this event up] was a tricky one, actually. There was so much to take into consideration when developing the program because we have a cast and crew of like 500 people,” Ladd said.

She and her partner, Brad Spencer, with their company Safe on Set (SOS), oversee all the cast and crew of the event that takes over an entire parking structure and adjoining parking lot to build out the world of Hawkins, Indiana that sets the stage for the experience.

All guests are asked to always remain in their cars, with windows up and sunroofs shut. There are “in world” security officers who monitor that, and it also helps keep the Demogorgons out. When guests receive pre-purchased merchandise or snacks, they may roll down their windows momentarily if they are wearing a mask. But the staff and performers don’t have the luxury of a car interior. Managing that many employees through the event and administering the weekly COVID tests, ensuring social distancing, providing gloves, masks and hand sanitizer, and all the aspects of COVID safety can be difficult while on set, but even more so off set.

“We’ve created such an incredibly safe environment on set but right now our hardest thing is keeping the outside world out,” Ladd said. “So far we’ve been able to keep our [positive case rate] percentages extremely low compared to the outside world, [but the challenge has been] creating that awareness for our staff and crew that they need to continue practicing all of the COVID compliance protocols that they do on-site,    -site as well. You know, in the regular world, most of us don’t do much besides go to work and then go home, go to work and go home, but we have to constantly remember to communicate to the staff and the cast and the crew that everything you do outside of this site affects each and every one of us here on site. So you know to be mindful in in every step you make, because it affects all of us here.”

And while these “outside of work” restrictions may take some reinforcement, the result of this mindfulness has led to a more cohesive group going through this tough time together.

“We’ve been really, I don’t want to say lucky … because I think it’s been carefully created from the very beginning to create this environment in which all staff, crew and cast feel like we’re in this together,” Ladd said. “And most of the people who are here today have been with us from the very beginning, so everyone has that ‘in it in it to win it and we’re all in it together’ mentality and mindset, which has been huge in keeping us safe.”

Tickets are still available for the “Stranger Things Drive-Into Experience” in Downtown LA. Visit StrangerThingsDriveInto.com for tickets and more info.