NEW YORK (AP) — Actress Kate Shindle has been backstage in a lot of theaters — on Broadway, off-Broadway and on tour. But she came across something unusual a few months ago when she went to rehearsals for a new show in New Jersey.

Cast members had barely met when they were walked through the theater's sexual harassment policies and shown a video to reinforce the messages. A staffer came by to explain the policies and answer questions. That was a first for Shindle.

"I had never worked at a theater that set aside an hour of rehearsal time at the very beginning of the process to do a full-on sexual harassment orientation," she said. "It becomes a lot easier to make sure that the workplace is safe when everybody's on the same page and participating in reinforcing those values."

The harassment orientation offered by the Paper Mill Playhouse has been in effect for many years. It may become a model for other theaters, TV shows and film sets a year after the entertainment industry was rocked by sex assault allegations against Harvey Weinstein.

Arts professionals are trying to respond to the crisis in multiple ways, from doubling down on ensuring actors and actresses are aware of anti-harassment policies to holding workshops and hiring onset advocates to ensure a safe workplace.