When on-campus residents saw alumni reunion signs by the Main Quad and Encina Hall on Saturday, they wondered, “Is Stanford really organizing an in-person alumni reunion during a pandemic?” 

Not quite. The reunion decorations are actually a part of a set for an episode in the upcoming season of the HBO series “Insecure,” as confirmed by the University spokesperson E.J. Miranda. 

The show, created by and starring Issa Rae ’07, follows black female protagonists as they “navigate the tricky professional and personal terrain of Los Angeles,” according to HBO. Like Rae, her character in the show went to Stanford, where she met her best friend. Now, they’re back for a reunion. 

According to Miranda, a film crew from Plane Meets Paper Production was on campus for the weekend. On Saturday, access to the Main Quad was restricted, with security notifying campus residents of filming in progress and sending pedestrians and bikers on detours.

“The project is fully compliant with state, county and Stanford guidelines, and is rigorously following strict COVID-19 safety protocols,” Miranda wrote.

In August of last year, the University established zones, controlling access to main campus. Stanford currently limits general public access to the Academic Zone, which includes the Main Quad and Encina Hall. 

“We appreciate the community continuing to abide by campus zone restrictions, which currently limit most public access to the academic portions of campus, to protect the health and safety of our campus community and those participating in the filming,” Miranda wrote.

The filming project is in collaboration with the Office of Campus Engagement and Office of the Vice President for the Arts. The goal of the cooperation is to support the arts community and “provide opportunities for campus engagement with alumni artists,” according to Miranda.