Thanks to the likes of Uncle Roger, most of us are now familiar with stand-up comedy. But have you heard of crosstalk, better known as Xiang Sheng (相声)? It is a traditional comedy-performing art in Chinese culture, typically performed either in pairs as a dialogue or by a solo performer in monologue form.
According to Wikipedia, crosstalk was brought to Malaysia by performers from Southern China after the Chinese Civil War. Thanks to Malaysia’s multi-language and multi-cultural environment, its crosstalk is vastly different from that of China’s. However, only a handful of crosstalk performers left as it isn’t regarded as a popular performing art.
To keep this tradition alive, Persatuan Bahasa Cina Universiti Malaya (PBCUM) has taken the initiative to hold crosstalk classes, with a committee formed to oversee it. Besides training potential comedians, the committee has also been organising Crosstalk Performance Night for 15 consecutive years.
As cultivating young talent is vital for all kinds of performing arts, the committee has organised the National Secondary School Crosstalk Competition to promote this culture among high school students.
You can watch last year’s finals here.
This year will be its third edition, but it will be held online due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Want to be a part of it? It is very simple!
First, find a friend to form a pair and fill in the registration form. After you’ve practised and are satisfied with your performance, send a 5-minute video to the committee, and it will be evaluated for the preliminary round.
If you register before April 18, you will only need to pay a RM30 registration fee, whereas RM40 will be charged for registrations later than that.
Advancing to the finals
A panel of judges will select 15 groups to compete in the finals on May 22 from 10 am to 3 pm on Facebook Live, where the winners will walk away with a total prize pool of RM2,400!
Wait no more! Grab a partner and unleash the Uncle Roger in you! Registration is now open and ends on May 1.
For more details, visit @pbcumdaxiang’s official Facebook page here.
Sources: A collaboration with @pbcumdaxiang
Editor: Raymond Chen
Proofreader: Sarah Yeoh
