♪ a new show is about to begin. the stars are the audience members themselves.

[ applause ] >> as soon as the audience member finishes speaking, the actors choose roles and improvise the audience member's life story and feelings.

[ applause ] ♪ >> this chinese theater group creates performances together with their audience. they call themselves the guangzhou temporary theater troupe. the six members are all women in their 20s. they've been winning interest a and sympathy from young people since the group's founding.

>> but now the theater group faces a serious issue.

>> this episode follows the theater group determined to continue their interprettive performances, despite the very threat to their existence. ♪ive performances, despite the very threat to their existence. ♪ [ cheers and applause ] >> hello. >> the six members of the troupe all live together.

>> they split the rent and living expenses equally, paying with money they've saved from part-time jobs. >> every morning at 7:30 a.m., they start rehearsals on their apartment balcony. their acting style consists of improvisation. >> improve theater begins with a story told by an audience member. the actors have 18 different

models for expressing the audience's stories. for example, in the pairs model, actors perform the conflicting thoughts of the speaker to express their inner struggle. in bingo, actors express the speaker's inner thoughts with one word or phrase. >> the actors' voices overlap, strengthening their power of expression. >> the use of diverse models gives speakers a sense of objectivity, and a feeling of empathy and understanding.

>> the theater group was formed in jaung zhao in july 2018. they quickly became well-known among young people through social media. and have performed more than 50 times all over china. they gained support by providing a vital space where anyone can have their voice expressed. but they lost the performance space in their home of guangzhou after a single incident.

>> after this, the members soon shrank from more than 20 to just six. each actor had their own reasons for continuing despite their fear and anxiety.

>> she says she always had a boyish voice and mannerisms. her parents and teachers had scolded her to act more feminine.

>> she served as a social worker of the she believes her theater work can give support to those facing mental health issues.hsh worker of the she believes her theater work can give support to those facing mental health issues.believes her theater wor give support to those facing mental health issues. >> six months after the police came, no theater in guangzhou

would rent the group space. on this day, the members met with someone to help explore their options. this dancer has pursued freedom of expression amidst strict regulations.

>> long used her own connections to build a theater in guangzhou.

>> the group have finally booked a theater in guangzhou and was ready to perform two days later a theater in guangzhou and was ready to perform two days latera theater in guangzhou and was ready to perform two days later a theater in guangzhou and was ready to perform two days later. but then, after just an hour had passed --

>> the members had been forced to cancel for any number of reasons in the past.

>> they searched everywhere for performance space, outdoor venues, hotel conference rooms, and community centers. there's a reason they refuse to give up performing in their hometown of guangzhou.

>> after intense negotiation, the group members succeeded in representing event space at a shoppingenter in guangzhou. fees for the venue and sound equipment will be paid for with money collected from crowd funding. they will be performing in guangzhou post in seven months. the thought of it brings excitement, tinged with a bit of anxiety. [ cheers ]

>> at 7:00 p.m., more than 300 people entered the theater. [ applause ]

[ applause ] [ applause ] >> the man who spoke up recently quit his job at a major company in guangzhou.

he said that in ten hours he was taking a train back to his hometown to take care of his father, who had fallen ill. ♪

[ applause ]

. >> this is a university student who volunteers at an organization that supports former leprosy patients. she visits people who have long be isolated in mountainous villages. she and other volunteers helped fix homes and roads, spending time together with them. she states she feels a deep sense of meaning in the work.

but her family, friends, and society at large show very little interest in her work, and she's been feeling alone lately.

. [ applause ][ applause ] >> over a 90-minute performance, a total of ten audience members shared their personal stories. [ applause ]

>> encouraged by the show, long visited the market where her parents worked five days later.

♪ ♪

al jazeera. ♪ >> this is al jazeera p of these are the top stories, and a reminder of our breaking news about the pardons issued by donald trump. they include charles kushner, real estate developer and father of trump's son-in-law, jared kushner. also pardons for longtime associate roger stone. his sentence had been commuted. also, former campaign manager of 2016, paul manafort. 26 people have been pardoned today. gunmen have attacked the townn