At the time of recording, Roz Coleman was the International Company Manager of the immersive theatre experience “Sleep No More” in Shanghai. This has given Roz a unique appreciation of audience responses in different countries and cultures, and during our short chat she shares some great observations about human behavioural traits in China. 

The obvious irony is that our discussion covers audience behaviour in environments where people are crammed together and inhabiting each other’s space. Well of course that’s not what we’re experiencing now in February 2020, with most facets of everyday life on lockdown in China. I hope that my chat with Roz will be a good reminder that our current situation is only temporary. 

Roz Coleman’s object: A set of keys. Listen to the episode to find out why. 

Roz Coleman’s favourite WeChat stickers: Anything featuring the happy dancing boy!(Add @oscar10877 on WeChat to join the Group and see the original sticker) 

Roz Coleman: The immersive theatre experience “Sleep No More”《不眠之夜 》in Shanghai. 

Roz Coleman: Some of her other world in immersive art includes 1) a tree house show called Air Hotel that took place in a forest, 2) a show called Walking, which took place on a beach in Norfolk, England, and 3) one which featured the world’s largest disco ball in a car park. 

Roz Coleman: The contemporary circus troupe, Circa. 

Roz Coleman: The phenomenon where women refuse to yield to men in busy cities like New York, otherwise known as “manslamming”. 

Roz Coleman: The book “When We Were Orphans” by Kazuo Ishiguro, which also references “Shanghai Flow”. 

Roz Coleman: A photo from one of her monthly costume parties, with her friend Nick. 

Roz Coleman’s favourite China fact: Every year, 10 million new people enter the middle classes in China. 

Roz Coleman’s favourite word or phrase in Chinese: 天下没有不散的宴席 (Tiānxià méiyǒu bú sàn de yànxí - All good things come to an end.) The literal translation is: “There's no such thing as a never-ending feast.” 

Roz Coleman’s favourite place to visit in China: The tea mountains above Hangzhou. 

Roz Coleman’s favourite place to hang out: ALL Club. 

Roz Coleman’s favourite China-related information source: Radii.

Roz Coleman’s selfie with Oscar.