#Sleep no more nyc tickets discount free

In previous versions, the design team had to design scenes around the original floor plans of the building. The team dubbed the building The McKinnon Hotel, the bigger sister to The McKittrick Hotel, the venue that hosts the New York version.įelix Barrett, Punchdrunk's artistic director and co-director of Sleep No More, spoke highly of the Shanghai venue, which he said offered more freedom when it came to specially altering the interior to better present the story. Meanwhile, an extra 4,000-square-meter area will be dedicated to entertainment facilities such as a bar and restaurant. An unfinished building on 1013 Beijing West Road is being renovated for the show, which will take place from the first to the fifth floor for a total area of 6,000 square meters. SPAG started negotiations with Punchdrunk two years ago, and production on the Shanghai version has been underway since last year. The New York version, created in 2011 and winner of the 2011 Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience, has been performed in the city for six years in a row, attracting a stellar list of spectators including Leonardo DiCaprio, Natalie Portman, Madonna and Justin Timberlake. I was also very much impressed with the design of the overall environment, the way different groups of characters moved throughout the large building and the extraordinary contemporary dance routines presented by them.' 'It completely changed the relationship between the actors and the audience by creating an atmosphere of involvement. 'It was a revolutionary experience,' Ma recalled. Moreover, the audience has the opportunity to interact one-on-one with some of the actors during the show. Each show lasts for three hours, during which time the story is staged three times so the audience can appreciate it from different perspectives. The audience wears masks during the show that turn them into 'ghosts' who can interact with the characters. The show features no spoken lines, instead the story is delivered through physical performances and contemporary dance. Audiences can either follow specific characters, or just wander around the theatrical space to take in the atmospheric environment that reveals details relevant to the story.

#Sleep no more nyc tickets discount free

It's been four years since Ma made the decision to present a quality work of immersive theater in Shanghai after watching Sleep No More in New York.Īdapted from Shakespeare's Macbeth, the interactive work takes place in a building with more than 100 rooms where performances can take place right among the audience, who are free to walk around to appreciate the show at their own pace. The new version, co-produced by China's SPAG and Punchdrunk, is scheduled to premiere in early December and end around the Chinese New Year. This also marks the first time Punchdrunk has presented their works in Asia. Now, after a successful run in London, Boston and New York, the production is coming to Shanghai in a new version tailored for Chinese audiences. Beyond out expectations, more than half of the tickets have been sold,' Ma Chencheng, director of SMG Performing Arts Group's (SPAG) Industry Center and producer of the performance, told the Global Times Monday afternoon, five days after they started selling tickets.Ĭreated by British company Punchdrunk in 2003, Sleep No More is one of the most popular immersive theater productions in the world. 'We prepared 16,000 tickets for the first run of the Shanghai version of Sleep No More. A scene from a performance of Sleep No More in New York Photo: Courtesy of Stephen Dobbie and Lindsay Nolin