You've got to be joking

Lam Wai-kei, a graduate of the University of Macau and a theater enthusiast, became the first employee hired by the Macao branch. She also serves as the producer of the Cantonese version of Shear Madness.

When Lam was a law student at the university, she actively participated in the university's drama club, engaging in both theater performances and production.

She attended evening classes at the School of Theatre at the Macao Conservatory, studying acting. After graduating, she joined a local Macao theater group dedicated to producing original experimental plays.

"Macao has no shortage of young people passionate about the arts. Local young actors are eager to explore different forms of theater," she says.

"I have some actor friends around me who often travel to Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou for auditions, seeking opportunities to perform in stage plays.

"What actors need are opportunities, platforms and resources. The Macao International Comedy Festival has provided us with an additional opportunity to engage with and understand comedy, especially in the Mahua FunAge-styled comedic genre," she adds.

In 2018, Lam had a work stint in Shanghai.

She found that both Shanghai and Macao are highly international cities with a fusion of Eastern and Western cultures.

However, in comparison, Macao has a relatively smaller audience size and a lower demand for theater. Lam believes that Macao needs time to mature and develop its performing arts industry.

Before the official debut of the Cantonese version of Shear Madness, Lam organized previews to get feedback from local audiences from different backgrounds and age groups. She noticed that the level of interaction between the audiences and actors was not as high.

"Audiences from the Chinese mainland are already familiar with immersive theater," Lam says.

"But in Macao, it's still in its early stages, and audiences rarely have the opportunity to watch stage plays with strong audience interaction. We need to stimulate interest in this aspect."

However, she is delighted that the more than 20 staff members involved in Shear Madness showed great enthusiasm, often engaging in intense discussions about the script.

"We hope to start with this group of actors, inspire a batch of comedy enthusiasts in the audience, create a positive cycle and ultimately establish the roots of comedy culture in Macao," she adds.

Looking ahead, the Macao festival aims to gradually produce a series of locally distinctive small to medium-sized theatrical productions. These will have residency performances in both Macao and Hengqin, hopefully fostering the growth of comedy in the region, according to the festival organizers.