Chapter 106 Uncle, I Finally Found You
Backstage at the Capital Theatre, actors were removing their make-up and changing their clothes. They were discussing the performance and the audience’s reaction with each other. It was obvious that everyone was very excited.
When they saw Lin Weimin coming backstage, everyone stood up and greeted him.
Although Lin Weimin is not very old, his screenwriting skills are obvious to all and have won everyone's respect.
Lin Weimin’s script is one of the most important factors for the success of today’s performance.
"Teacher Lan, you acted really well!" Lin Weimin said to Lan Tianye.
"Thank you, Teacher Lin." His face was a mixture of excitement and fatigue. A drama performance lasting more than an hour would be a hardship for anyone, not to mention that Lan Tianye was already in his fifties.
Li Guangfu was sitting next to Lan Tianye. He smiled and asked Lin Weimin, "Teacher Lin, what do you think of my performance?"
"Very good, better than I expected."
Hearing his affirmation, Li Guangfu felt delighted. He had been holding his breath since the rehearsal, and now that he had received recognition from Lin Weimin and the audience, he felt that all his hard work these days had not been in vain.
After half an hour of busy work backstage, Lin Weimin thought that everyone was about to leave, so he prepared to leave too.
But the situation is that the actors are still very excited and have no intention of going home.
Seeing that he was puzzled, Lan Tianye asked, "Teacher Lin, do you know what medicine is prescribed the most in our People's Art Theater's medical office every year?"
Lin Weimin shook his head.
"Valium!"
Lin Weimin frowned. If he remembered correctly, diazepam was a Western medicine that could relieve anxiety, pain, and act as a sedative and hypnotic.
"Look at the time. Our evening shows usually end around nine o'clock, and we dawdle backstage until we get home around ten o'clock.
Usually at this time many actors are still immersed in their characters and are so excited that they cannot fall asleep. Some can only fall asleep by lying in bed for a few hours, some have to wait until the late night, and some even suffer from insomnia all night long.
In this case, Valium becomes everyone’s best partner for sleep assistance.”
There was a hint of pity in Lan Tianye's expression when he said this.
Lin Weimin was full of admiration for the professionalism of these actors. If they hadn't really devoted themselves to the roles and performances, how could they have suffered from sleepless nights?
When Lin Weimin returned home, he was still a little upset, for the success of today's performance and for the dedication and hard work of the staff on and off the stage.
I hope this drama can continue to be performed.
Two days later, news about the performance of "The Intouchables" appeared on major media pages in Yanjing.
There was no Internet back then, and even television was not popular, so the paper media such as newspapers and magazines had the greatest influence on the people.
The media's reviews of "The Intouchables" were almost all praise, saying that the drama was a rare good show produced by the People's Art Theatre in recent years.
After Lin Weimin's magical changes, "The Intouchables" completely conforms to the values and tastes of domestic audiences.
With the promotion of the media, the performances of "The Intouchables" were soon sold out, and tickets were hard to come by within a week.
Many colleagues in the company approached Lin Weimin and asked him to help get some tickets. Lin Weimin went to the People's Art Theatre and made a lot of effort but could only get three or five tickets.
There are too many wolves and too little meat, not enough to go around, leaving everyone helpless.
That afternoon, when it was almost time to get off work, my colleagues were slacking off and chatting again.
The topic naturally cannot be without Lin Weimin, who has recently become famous in the Yenching drama circle for his drama "The Intouchables".
Yao Shuzhi asked curiously, "Hey, Weimin, how much did the People's Art Theatre pay you for this play?"
"Three hundred dollars."
"That's not much!" said Yao Shuzhi.
Liu Yin smiled and said, "Silly girl, you don't know this, do you? The royalties given by the People's Art Theatre are only a part of what Weimin can get. Weimin can also get dividends from every performance they perform."
"Is that so?" Yao Shuzhi glared at Lin Weimin, "Why didn't you say so earlier?"
"You asked about the royalties, not the commissions."
"You..." Yao Shuzhi glared at him fiercely.
"Hey, Weimin..." Liu Yin called out Lin Weimin.
"What?"
"Can you get me two tickets?"
Lin Weimin smiled bitterly and said, "Sister, this is a bit embarrassing for me. So many colleagues in the agency came to me, how many tickets did you see me get?"
Liu Yin said: "Is it really that difficult? I thought you were just trying to fool them."
"No, we finally opened our mouths, but we really can't get tickets."
Lin Yin sighed and said regretfully, "If I had known it was so popular, I should have let you get some tickets right after the performance. Your performance will only last for more than half a month, right? It looks like we can only wait until next year."
The performance cycle of each drama of the National Theatre of China is generally half a month, and the number of performances of each drama rarely exceeds 20 per year.
"Teahouse" is the most popular play of the National Theatre of China. Although it has been performed for more than 200 times in more than 20 years, it has only been performed for more than 200 times.
Yao Shuzhi said: "It's only been more than half a month, so Weimin, your share of the performance is not much!"
Before Lin Weimin could say anything, Liu Yin said, "They are doing it slowly and steadily. Teahouse has been performed for more than 20 years. If Weimin's play is popular, it can be performed for another 30 to 50 years. Are you worried about not having enough money?"
"That's true."
Rong Shihui concluded with a smile: "This is what it means to serve the people. You can earn a living by writing a play for the rest of your life!"
My colleagues all looked envious.
Only Lin Weimin had a calm expression. The People's Art Theatre gave him 300 yuan in royalties for "The Intouchables", and the share of the performance was 5 yuan per show, which was only 100 yuan for 20 shows a year.
Even if prices soar in the future, the income it brings to him will be visible to the naked eye, and there will be no surprises or accidents.
He has already handed over the script of "Farewell My Concubine" to the National Theatre of China. The total word count is just under 30,000 words, and the fee is still 300 yuan.
Lin Weimin couldn't help but sigh in his heart that no matter now or in the future, those who perform drama will always be so poor.
Even Happy Twist, which became popular in China later on, took a purely commercial route and had to rely on film and television adaptations to make money.
While chatting with colleagues, it was time to get off work. Lin Weimin walked out of the back building carrying a black leather bag. Along the way, he met many colleagues who were getting off work. He nodded, greeted them and chatted with them for a few words.
When passing by the front building, I heard Master Zhai's voice from the message room, "Weimin! Wait a minute!"
Lin Weimin turned his head and saw Uncle Zhai leaning against the small window. "Uncle Zhai, what's the matter?"
"Someone is looking for you!"
Looking for me? Who would look for someone at this hour?
Lin Weimin was puzzled and took a few steps back, just about to walk into the message room.
Unexpectedly, the door of the message room was pushed open from the inside. Lin Weimin only felt a gust of air blowing towards his face, and a dark figure rushed towards him. Before he could see who it was, he subconsciously wanted to dodge.
Unfortunately, he was a step too slow and was grabbed into the arms of a figure as big as a hill and hugged tightly.
"Uncle, I finally found you!"
(End of this chapter)
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