Improvisational theater enjoys surging popularity in China

A unique stage play titled Story Pawnshop was recently performed in the city of Kunming, Southwest China’s Yunnan Province, leaving audiences enchanted.

But, unlike conventional well- rehearsed plays, Story Pawnshop had a distinctive flavor – the play was performed without stage- setting, props, costumes, or even a script, with the artists improvising their dialogues and acting.

Featuring a medley of audiences’ own stories staged through improvisation and original music, the improv performance in the city’s No. 88 Theater located on Nanqiang Street was savored by more than 100 improv enthusiasts.

Before the performance began, Su Ai, 33, a doctor by profession, wrote down the story centering around herself and her father who had just passed away.

The actors recreated fictional scenes from Su living together with her father and put together a touching moment of family reunion.

“I’d like to thank all the performers for their excellent work. Their dialogues had those words which I could never express to my father,” said Su.

“The final reunion was just like a dream for me.”

Several other stories from the audience were randomly selected by the performers with laughter and tears permeating the entire night.

“Improv was introduced to China by troupes in Shanghai and Beijing more than a decade ago, receiving enthusiastic responses from local audiences,” said Wang Wentao, deputy head of Yuandong troupe which produced Story Pawnshop.

Wang added that the initial success encouraged his troupe to perform improv in Kunming. The troupe has been performing at No. 88 Theater every weekend since August 2020 and tickets are sold out almost every time.

Experts believe that the surging popularity of improv, like that of traditional opera and experimental theater, is part of a larger trend to honor stagecraft rather than films and teleplays, as increasingly wealthy and modernized Chinese seek more diverse ways of entertainment.

“Improv features interactions with audiences, giving us a sense of participation in the performance,” said Yang Guai, a 28- year- old programmer who watches improvisational plays almost every week.

“One of the audiences has watched our improvisational performances eight times, which perhaps suggests a promising future for the improv market,” said Zhang Tao, founder of Yuandong troupe.

Zheng Siqi, 20, deems improv a way of life.

“I joined the drama club on the university campus and regularly imitated professional troupes to rehearse some improvisational plays,” Zheng said, adding that improv pays more attention to acting than costumes or props, which is why it is more suitable for beginners.