Theaters adapt to dramatic change of scene

He formed the idea of staging shows at his own theater after his troupe began performing regularly every week. In 2013, he secured a bank loan to launch his first theater in Jiaodaokou, which started to make a profit a year later. In 2017, Gao opened his second venue, a 300-seat theater in Wukesong, western Beijing.

"Although I have other work, such as acting in movies and appearing in reality shows, I really love performing xiangsheng at the two theaters and this has never changed," he said.

During the coronavirus pandemic, many of those working in the performing arts industry have turned to staging shows online, the Hip-hop Crosstalk Club being no exception.

On March 28, Gao and xiangsheng performers from the club held their first online show on Douyin, one of the country's most popular short-video platforms. The debut performance was watched by more than 1.2 million people, way beyond Gao's expectations.

"It was all new to me, as I had rarely watched shows streamed online before I started to do it myself," he said. "But when I realized that this was a way to connect with audiences, I decided to do it every day."

Along with his colleagues, Gao writes scripts for each day's online show. However, unlike theater, where audience reaction provides immediate feedback to his jokes, he adjusts the tempo for online shows and the way of telling stories. He also answers questions from audiences, bringing him closer to fans.

"It's not just me and my company facing a crisis as a result of the virus. Some of my friends, who run film and advertising companies, face the same dilemma－pay the rent or eat first?" Gao said. "The sudden changes to the business made me think about my company's future. If we can survive this, I'll be all the better for it."

He added that staging xiangsheng shows online can never match theater shows, a sentiment with which Yang Lin, a performer from Tianjin, agrees.

"Xiangsheng performances rely on facial expressions and body language to communicate with audiences. It is hard to keep the attention of an audience watching in front of a screen," said Yang, who heads a five-year-old xiangsheng troupe in Tianjin, and faces a similar situation to Gao.