Huayu: Starting from managing the Mahua FunAge Theater Troupe

It was past 11 p.m. when I found a hot pot restaurant that was still open.

The dozen or so people were divided into three tables.

As the dishes were being served, Yu Kai took charge of the event and asked Shen Feiyang to say a few words.

Shen Feiyang stood up and said, "First of all, let's give a round of applause for the first time that a single performance of 'Mahua' has turned a profit."

Splash splash splash splash splash.

A dozen or so people clapped, making quite a commotion.

Shen Feiyang then added, "Secondly, welcome Huang Bo, Ai Lun, Xiong Naijin, Li Jian, Qi Kui, Jiang Yan, and Yu Shasha to the Happy Twist Troupe family. Wishing our Happy Twist Troupe continued success! Cheers!"

Shen Feiyang picked up his cup, which was full of cola.

"Cheers!"

The others also picked up their cups.

The cup contains tea, plain water, or a beverage; you can choose freely, which is very relaxing.

The newcomers were also very relaxed. After all, they were all graduates of the Beijing Film Academy and could see big stars on campus. Their senses had already made them lose their curiosity about He Jiong, Xie Na, and Yu Na. Instead, they were very curious about Shen Feiyang.

He looks to be only eighteen or nineteen years old, yet he's the head of the company, and his subordinates all respect him—that's quite unbelievable.

Yu Kai whispered to Tian Youliang beside him, "Old Tian, ​​why don't you come back? Look at your directorial work, 'Mahua,' it's already a preliminary success, which shows that your content still has a good market."

Tian Youliang chuckled softly: "My ambitions lie elsewhere. You, me, and Zhang Chen initially started the company with the goal of producing TV dramas, but we encountered unforeseen circumstances and were forced to turn to stage plays. It's all good now. I'm quite satisfied to see the performances succeed. I haven't thought about anything else."

"Alright, come back and visit more often in the future." Yu Kai didn't try to persuade him any further.

"must."

……

After finishing the meal.

The group left the restaurant.

He Jiong drove there and took Tian Youliang, Yu Na, and Xie Na home.

Yu Kai took a taxi back.

Shen Feiyang rode his motorcycle back.

The rest of the troupe split into two vans that had been rented for the time being.

These two vans were rented for pre-made skit projects for transporting actors and props.

Shen Teng brought seven people and two cars with him.

Both vehicles were 11-seater Jinbei light passenger vans, driven by Ai Lun and Huang Bo, who both had driver's licenses.

We'll be taking a van back; there are eleven of us in total, so there's plenty of room.

……

Shen Teng and Huang Bo rode in the same car.

He was sitting in the passenger seat.

Sitting in the back rows were Jiang Yan, Yu Shasha, Xiong Naijin, and others who were going the same way.

Shen Teng could have taken Ai Lun's car along the same route, but he felt that Ai Lun wasn't as steady as Huang Bo, an experienced driver of his age.

"Hold on tight, everyone."

Huang Bo started the car, turned on the low beam headlights, and drove onto the road.

"Brother Teng, how old is President Shen this year?" Yu Shasha couldn't help but ask the question that had been bothering her.

Upon hearing this, everyone perked up their ears.

"I'm afraid it would be a blow to you if I told you," Shen Teng said jokingly.

Huang Bo had figured out Shen Teng's way of talking during this time, and he joked, "If you're not afraid of being criticized, what are we afraid of?"

"That's right, that's right."

Everyone started making merry with smiles.

"Oh dear, my poor heart!" Shen Teng clutched his chest.

"Brother Teng, tell me quickly." Xiong Naijin's curiosity was also piqued.

"Sigh~" Shen Teng sighed: "You forced me to say this. President Shen is only 18 years old this year. He started from scratch. When he first came to Beijing, he only had a few hundred yuan in his pocket."

Everyone fell silent.

Shen Teng started a mocking remark: "I was going to say it or not, but you all insisted I say it. Now look what's happened, can we still have fun together in the future?"

"That's amazing."

Jiang Yan spoke for everyone, breaking the silence.

"Brother Teng, what's your relationship with President Shen?" Yu Shasha asked curiously.

"Royal relatives," Shen Teng said jokingly.

Yu Shasha jokingly added, "Hey, then I'll have to try to please Brother Teng from now on."

Shen Teng was also able to joke: "That won't do, brother has a wife."

"Does Mr. Shen have a girlfriend?"

"You'll have to ask him about that."

Shen Teng's words are ambiguous and uncertain.

It's normal for people to say a few words about their boss behind their backs, but they should be careful not to go too far.

Shen Teng knew very well what he could say and what he couldn't say.

……

The next day.

1 month 15 day.

There's no need to recruit people.

People came looking for the Happy Bus on their own.

Some of them were found through online posts.

Some were holding newspapers such as the Beijing News published that morning.

Of the five newspapers I contacted, only the Beijing Evening News was published in the morning; the other four were all newspapers that published in the morning.

7 PM.

The auditorium of the Yifu Theatre, which can accommodate up to 921 audience members, was filled with a full 900 audience members.

461 lucky free viewers and 439 paid viewers.

Ticket prices have returned to normal.

180, 150, 100, 60.

The 180 yuan ticket is for the core area of ​​the theater, which accounts for about 10% of the space and has about 90 seats.

The 150 yuan option is for the theater's preferred seating area, which accounts for about 15% of the total and has about 140 seats.

The 100 yuan price range falls into the standard zone, accounting for approximately 35%, or about 320 seats.

The 60 yuan price range belongs to the basic zone, accounting for about 40%, or about 370 seats.

The lucky free viewers were concentrated in the basic section and some standard sections.

In other words, all other seats are for paying viewers.

Single-event ticket revenue has reached a new high.

Looking at the audience, Yu Kai was much calmer than yesterday. He said to Shen Feiyang, "Today's ticket revenue is 58,100 yuan. Not counting venue rental, after deducting taxes and other costs, the profit per game is about 40,000 yuan."

Shen Feiyang laughed heartily and said, "That's it, isn't it?"

Yu Kai was still a little dazed: "It's unbelievable that it actually attracted so many viewers. Was our first round of promotion such a failure? We advertised in newspapers, posted online, and published promotional news on various portal websites. Why is there such a big difference?"

Shen Feiyang picked up the thread and said, "I can't explain what the theory is, but I just feel that a large number of people can make a sound. We did some publicity in the first round, but there were too few audience members, or rather, the base was too small, so it was difficult to meet influential people with a good reputation."

In the past two days, several hundred people have been coming to view this page every day, greatly increasing the chances of a lucky break. The post on the Beijing Food Forum is the best proof of that.

"It's all about timing and fate." Yu Kai had to believe that some people were just born with good fortune, like Shen Feiyang.

They're all self-taught and unorthodox.

Yu Kai reminded Shen Feiyang: "A sold-out show shouldn't be seen as a long-term solution. We still need to carefully polish the script and cultivate good actors. Also, once a play becomes popular, it will be difficult to rent a theater for a fixed rent, as theaters will be forced to switch to a revenue-sharing model."

This is a common phenomenon in the industry.

New troupes and new plays have no guarantee of box office success.

To avoid risks, theaters tend to prefer a pure rental model.

The troupe pays a fixed venue rental fee, such as 4000 yuan per show at the Yifu Theater. Regardless of the box office performance, the theater is guaranteed a stable income.

If a show becomes a hit, and the theater finds that the "fixed rent" is far lower than the potential revenue from "box office revenue sharing," it will forcefully propose a change in the cooperation model.

In order to make more money, theaters won't suppress the performers to the point of exhaustion; they'll probably take around 30% or 40%.

Looking at the performance on stage, Shen Feiyang said seriously, "Within five years, I will definitely open a Happy Twist Theater in Beijing."

Yu Kai nodded slightly, without saying anything more.

He greatly admired Shen Feiyang's lofty ambitions.

If Shen Feiyang didn't have ambition, he wouldn't have chosen to stay.