Official articles from theaters and musical producers in Shanghai,

News articles,

Book Chapters,

Interview transcript/ video,

Related videos on YouTube and Bilibili

Small theater model musicals often have the characteristic that the audience appreciates the actors more than the drama.

This form of interpretation has always existed, but it did not begin to develop until 2018 when the Shanghai Performing Arts Industry Association established the "New Performing Arts Space Professional Committee"

The writer focused on another type of small theater musical (should I say performance art?) : immersive theater. For example, "Sleep no more" staged at the McKinnon Hotel on Jiangning Road is very popular on social media. Its ticket prices are more expensive and it has made a great contribution to Shanghai's art industry. Immersive theater is more interactive and participatory, and I might add it to my research.

"Small theater musical" is actually called small-scale musical productions.

Useful excerpts from the interview:

Shiqi Zhou( actor): In unconventional small venues, audiences can watch actors perform in front of them up close, it was a very different feeling.

Yu Hongyang( actor): Actors need to reconsider their performance, need more nuanced performances. Small theaters need emotions bursting from the inside out.

Zhou Shiqi（ actor）: Small-scale musical productions change the relationship between audience and actors.

Yuan Qi (Deputy General Manager Focustage): The composition of the cast has been changed, with different combinations of different people performing the same story.

New concept: Environmental small theater performing musicals

Other theater models: large initial investment, long return cycle, unstable team, and passive access to theater schedules. Resident mode: Stable team (similar to going to work)

Lower the threshold for going to the theater: wine/food, interesting plots, and small scenes can bring a relaxed atmosphere.

What kind of content is suitable for a musical in an environmental small theater: In addition to the content and music, the most important thing is that there is a representative scene in the plot.

The production of copyrighted musicals generally takes 4-6 months, so most small theaters are now doing them. The production of original musical takes several years.

Companies that are currently doing original ones: Focusage, imusical, SMGlive. Imported dramas give original dramas a growth period.

The venue selection of the small musical theater (I think it answers part of the question of the formation of the gathering circle of the People's Square Theater): The most important factor is transportation, because the end time of the evening musical is around 9:30. The surrounding supporting facilities, such as dining , taking pictures, and closely related to the movie-watching experience.

There are too many professional studies, terminology, and charts, but the author mentioned a very detailed profit model of small theaters, which I think will be helpful.

Focustage; Apollonia

Market Response; Originality Musical;

Environmental musical; new performing art

AI recommended academic databases to me: JSTOR, ProQuest or Google Scholar, and AI asked me to look for library resources related to musicals, and to find industry publications, magazines or websites specifically focused on the performing arts industry in China or Shanghai. These sources often contain articles, interviews and industry insights. Explore the websites or publications of international theater associations or organizations focused on promoting and researching musical theatre. These organizations may have reports, research papers or case studies covering the Chinese or Shanghai theater scene.