Gala preshows given to test appeal

Programs that will feature in the CCTV Spring Festival Gala are preshowing at schools and companies, to test how they would go down with the audience. With twenty days to go till New Year's Eve, there's still time and room for improvement. The first such preshow was held at the Beijing Technology and Business University.

Young and critical students are a good barometer for testing entertainment appeal. Lasting over one hour, the show presented five programs, mainly crosstalks and comic sketches. "Fried dough Twist" series, a popular stage comedy at theaters for many years, will feature for the first time on the gala stage, in the form of a comic sketch.

Laughs from students are certainly a boost of confidence to the performers, who will take to the country's biggest stage on lunar New Year 's Eve. They're looking for audience feedback to help them perfect their punch lines.