Chapter 58 Negotiation
The next day, Liu Zhou and Zeng Li both came to school in radiant looks.

Zeng Li went back to the dormitory first, while Liu Zhou went directly to Lao Huang's office.

"Teacher, I'm coming."

Huang Weiruo saw that it was Liu Zhou and said with a smile:

"Come so early?"

"It's not that what you told me yesterday made me worry all night and got up early this morning."

"Since you are so impatient, let's go now."

When they arrived at the school gate, the two hailed a taxi. Huang Weiruo told the driver that they wanted to go to the Capital Theatre and sat in the back seat.

Liu Zhou also sat in and said curiously:

"Teacher, are we going to the Capital Theatre?"

"Didn't you just hear it?"

"I heard it, but I just couldn't believe it."

The Capital Theatre is an old theatre in Beijing that often hosts stage plays and small evening parties.

The Capital Theatre was renovated and modernized two years ago, and has become even more popular among theatre troupes.

“There’s nothing to be unbelievable about. As long as the play is good and can sell tickets, even a big theater like the Capital Theater will support you.

And I can tell you that on the first day of the performance, among all the theater managers I brought with me, the manager of the Capital Theater was the most enthusiastic after watching the play. "

"Teacher, the person you brought here that time was the manager of some theater in Beijing? I thought he was your friend."

“After watching your rehearsal, I knew your play would be a hit. Such a good play should not be limited to the campus, but should be seen by more people.

Besides, if this play is popular outside, it will also bring honor to the school."

Liu Zhou was deeply moved when he heard what Lao Huang said.

He is really good to himself. He takes good care of himself normally and is now paving the way for himself early on.

Liu Zhou was not a hypocritical person. He kept this feeling in his heart and said with a smile:

"What if I mess up the performance outside?"

"Then you should face the Central Academy of Drama and die to atone for your sins!"

"Haha, that's impossible. I definitely won't bring shame to the school."

Time passed quickly as the two chatted and laughed, and soon the taxi stopped in front of the Capital Theatre.

Led by Lao Huang, Liu Zhou went directly to the office of the manager of the Capital Theater.

"Manager Li, I've brought the person to you." As soon as he entered the door, Lao Huang said to a middle-aged man with slightly sparse hair.

Liu Zhou suddenly felt like he had been sold out by him.

"You are Liu Zhou, the screenwriter and director of Donkey Deshui, right?"

"Yes, I'm Liu Zhou, hello, Manager Li."

Manager Li asked them to sit down, and then poured tea while saying:
"You are Director Huang's student, so I won't beat around the bush. Your play is very good. I went to see it twice. I want to have your play performed at the Capital Theater. What do you think?"

"The Capital Theatre is the premier theatre in Beijing. I would certainly like to perform here, but I don't know how the rent is calculated."

"Since I invited you to perform here, I will definitely give you a discount on the rent. Normally, our rent to the public is 12,000 per show, but for you, it can be 10,000 per show."

The rental of theaters is usually charged on a per-show basis, and the price varies depending on the size and fame of the theater.

The Capital Theatre is a well-known old theatre in Beijing. After its renovation two years ago, it now has more than 1,500 seats, which is quite large.

Correspondingly, its rental is slightly higher, but to be honest, if the rental is 10,000 per show, it is not too expensive.

But as the saying goes, if you ask for a high price, you must pay the low price, so the price will always be raised.

"Manager Li, we are students and we don't have much money. After making the scenery and clothes, we have spent all the money. Can you give us a discount?"

"Okay, then I'll give you another 500 yuan discount as a token of our Capital Theater's encouragement and support to you young students."

"Eight thousand is ok? Love is always there despite thousands of miles of mountains and rivers. How about eight thousand?"

Seeing Liu Zhou say this, Manager Li smiled and said:

"You're a pretty good talker, kid, but no, eight thousand is too low."

Liu Zhou tried to persuade Manager Li for a while, but Manager Li still refused to give in, so he had to use his trump card.

"Manager Li, let's put it this way. If you agree to 8,000 per show, I will book five shows directly. If the attendance rate can reach 80%, I can extend it to ten shows."

"Oh, are you so confident?"

"What kind of young person is it if he is not young and frivolous? Of course, he needs to be more confident."

Manager Li then said to Huang Weiruo:

"Director Huang, won't you try to persuade us? This is tens of thousands of dollars. If the performance is not successful, we can still follow the contract."

"Since Liu Zhou has confidence in me and I believe him, you can just talk to him directly." Huang Weiruo said calmly.

Not to mention that Huang Weiruo was confident in the drama, even if he really made a mistake and the drama was not a success, these tens of thousands of dollars would be nothing to Liu Zhou.

"Okay, if that's the case, then we'll charge 8,000 yuan per show. We'll rent five shows in a row. If the attendance rate exceeds eight, the contract will be automatically renewed to ten shows, and we'll only take 10% of the box office revenue." "No problem. I'll come back in two days to sign the contract and give you the deposit."

Taking a 10% commission from the box office is also a current industry practice.

In theory, once you pay the rent, the theater belongs to you for use that night, and the box office revenue also belongs to you.

This was indeed the case in the beginning, but later, because of the need to pay taxes and other fees such as theater management fees, the theater also needed to take a cut of the box office, and this gradually became a practice.

The current box office share is between 10% and 15%, but it was later fixed at 15%.

So Manager Li only took 10% of the box office revenue, which was really very conscientious, and Liu Zhou did not ask for any more.

"So when are you going to perform your first show? That way I can make arrangements on my end."

"Today is December 9th, so let's schedule the first performance for Christmas Day."

"No problem. If you need any cooperation from me on your publicity, you can contact me directly."

"Thank you very much, Manager Li."

After leaving the Capital Theater, on the way back to school, Huang Weiruo seemed to be relieved and said with a smile:

"Now that we've settled the matter, the rest is up to you."

"Don't worry, teacher. Thank you for your help this time."

"Don't think too much. You are my student and it is my duty to help you. You should prepare well this time. During the first performance, I will invite a few more people to come and give you more momentum."

"Teacher, you are so good to me, I have no way to repay you, how about I give you my body?"

"Get lost, you really need to prepare well this time. If you mess up, I'll make you die to pay for it."

"Don't worry, teacher. I won't embarrass you or the school."

Liu Zhou also became serious when he saw that Lao Huang was speaking in a serious tone. It seemed that the person he invited this time must be of high status.

After separating from Lao Huang at school, Liu Zhou immediately gathered the members of the "Duds" crew.

"I have good news for you all. I have just negotiated with the Capital Theatre. Our play will be performed at the Capital Theatre on Christmas Day."

"Old Liu, is this true?"

"of course it's true."

"Old Liu, you are amazing. I never thought we could perform at the Capital Theater."

The other people also showed their joy. Performing in such a large theater would definitely allow more people to know them and attract the attention of more directors or producers in the industry.

"Since we are performing outside, we can't have any mistakes. We have to live up to the audience's ticket money, so we have to continue rehearsing, rehearsing more carefully."

"no problem."

"this is necessary."

"Let's discuss the details later. I have something else to tell you."

"What's the matter, Lao Liu?"

“Since we are going to perform publicly, there will be issues of interest, so let’s be clear about this first.

I provided all the funds for this drama, and now I also pay the rent of the Capital Theatre, so for you, I only pay you wages.

If the show is successful and I make money, don’t be jealous. If the show is unsuccessful and I lose money, I will just take it as bad luck.”

"Of course we are not that greedy. You don't even have to pay us wages. We ourselves know what we have gained from this drama." Qin Hailu stood up and said.

"Sister Hailu, you must get paid. This is your hard-earned money and what you deserve."

Seeing that no one had any objections, Liu Zhou discussed the salary issue with them.

Finally it was decided that the four main actors, Zeng Li, Qin Hao, Tian Zheng and Niu Qingfeng, would receive 800 yuan per show, Qin Hailu, Hu Jing and Cao Jun would receive 500 yuan per show, and the other minor supporting actors would receive 300 yuan per show.

This salary is actually not low. Now, actors of Beijing People's Art Theatre, if they are the leading actors, only make more than 1,000 yuan per performance.

The next day, Liu Zhou found someone to register the company on his behalf and spent a little more money to ask them to register the studio on an expedited basis.

Money makes the world go round. On the fifth day, Liu Zhou got the business license for his studio, and he decided to set up the studio in his own courtyard.

Zhoushan Cultural Studio!
This is the name Liu Zhou gave to the studio.

Liu Zhou is going to run this studio seriously, unlike the studio in Hong Kong which is so casual.

After registering the studio, Liu Zhou immediately went to the Capital Theatre and signed a contract with the Capital Theatre in the name of Zhou Shan Cultural Studio. He also paid a deposit of 20,000 yuan to the other party.

After completing these tasks, Liu Zhou finally breathed a sigh of relief.

But the story is not over yet. Since we are going to perform outside, we must promote it. Good wine needs no bush.

Even drama performances by big names will be promoted, and even more vigorously.

Liu Zhou also planned to spend 100,000 yuan to place advertisements in some newspapers in Beijing, and then post some promotional posters in the Capital Theater.

By the time I finished all these things, it was already December 20th.

Fortunately, everyone was already familiar with each other and rehearsed consciously, so Liu Zhou didn't need to worry too much.

After finishing those chores, Liu Zhou can focus his energy on the drama.

(End of this chapter)