Rough cuts

Hu Xin (fourth from left), Linda Lee (second from right) and the amateur performers from People's Republic of Improv. photos by Zou Hong / China Daily

Improvisational acting is the latest fad of the 20-45 age group in urban areas. Chen Nan reports.

It's 7:30 on a Tuesday evening and Hu Xin is whipping up a storm inside a high ceilinged house in Fangjia Hutong, Beijing. She is joined by more than 30 people standing in a circle. They do imitations of each other using ludicrously exaggerated gestures. After this warm up, it's time for what they have gathered to do - improvisational (improv) acting. Three people come to the center of the circle, one acting as a TV host, one as a relationship expert, and the third as a translator for the expert. "My first question is: What's the essence of love?" the host asks. Following the expert's ridiculous explanation, the translator ponders a second before saying, "One runs away and the other runs after", provoking much laughter from the audience.