"This really feels like every time you perform, you don't know what kind of show you're going to have — which is quite exciting, because even though the story doesn't change and everything goes as it should, the feel of it shifts with the audience."
Greek performer Fania Grigoriou shares this view.
"Sometimes the audience is rowdy, sometimes rude, sometimes nice. Sometimes they speak English, sometimes they don't seem to care. So we as performers have to adapt, adjust, and reinvent on the spot.
"It feels very cinematic because the audience gets both a really closeup view and a wide frame at the same time. I think that's really exciting for us as performers; figuring out how to balance and how subtle you can be with your character's emotions."
Having performed in the Shanghai edition of the pioneering immersive production Sleep No More, Grigoriou observes that while Shanghai has a deeper historical and cultural foundation in theater, Shenzhen is increasingly attracting producers who are keen to develop theatrical works, stage large-scale productions, and bring in professional talent.
She believes that, as more and more theater companies establish productions in Shenzhen, performers also bear the responsibility of guiding the audience in understanding appropriate conduct within such interactive spaces.
"Because it's quite tricky; knowing instinctively when you can be really up close, and when you need to be a bit more silent," Grigoriou says.
Zhang says that immersive theater holds great growth potential in the Shenzhen market. She notes that the primary age range of audiences for The Deal is between 20 and 40 years old.
Shenzhen, with an average resident age of around 32.5 years, is the youngest major city in China and also leads the country in per capita disposable income, creating an ideal demographic and economic foundation for the immersive theater market, she says.
