MANCHESTER – A Manchester-based team of creative industries specialists at top 100 law firm Lewis Silkin advised on the groundbreaking immersive theatre experience “The Deal”, which premiered in Shenzhen, China.

“The Deal” is set aboard a transformed, historic,1960s French cruise liner, the Minghua (formerly MV Ancerville) a new performing arts venue which sits at the heart of the Shenzhen Sea World development in Shekou.

Visitors are transported to a reimagined 1920s Paris - with lively market streets, homes, period offices, vibrant jazz bars and many other richly staged environments brought to life across the Minghua’s seven decks - which they can stroll through as they interact with an international cast of 36 performers and follow the Faustian life of protagonist ‘Marcel’.

Tiny Dragon Productions, based in Newcastle, led the producing and creative team behind “The Deal” alongside theatre company Dream Awake.  Lewis Silkin advised on the agreement with China Merchant Shekou Holdings (CMSH) which made the production the centrepiece of a £60 million placemaking venture in the heart of Shenzhen, which has ambitions to become a world leading city renowned for performing arts.

Lewis Silkin’s team, led by partner Laura Harper, advised Tiny Dragon on the complex commissioning framework agreement and associated production contracts.
The wider team included Francesca Mack, Senior Associate and James King. Associate.

Laura Harper, partner at Lewis Silkin, said:

The Deal is a remarkable achievement from Tiny Dragon and Dream Awake and it really has been an amazing experience to have played a part in what has been a long journey from the North of England to the Shenzhen waterfront. This project is a true demonstration of the incredible creative capital we have here in the North and the appetite from international partners and audiences for these kinds of cutting-edge creative productions.

Matt Runham (Chief Executive) and Pippa Fox (Chief Operating Officer), at Tiny Dragon Productions, added:

This project was one of the most complex and ambitious we’ve delivered to date. Creating a large-scale immersive theatre production within the centre of a £60 million placemaking development in Shenzhen required us to think far beyond producing a standalone show. We were working at the intersection of performance, architecture and public space; collaborating closely with partners across disciplines to ensure the experience genuinely enhanced the wider destination. Leading a team of exceptional creatives and producers through that process, and delivering something that operated as both cultural anchor and visitor experience, is something we’re extremely proud of. Navigating the protection of IP and the contractual scope necessary to give us both the requisite security and flexibility to create the production was an incredibly complex task and one that Laura and her team excelled at.

“The Deal” is the resident production at the new AncervilleMinghua performing arts venue in Shekou and continues to draw international audiences.