Inside a sprawling, architecturally striking white building, a comedy unfolded.

Though it lasted only 10 minutes, the play, Sky Trap, which was based on an airline conducting a rehearsal for an anti-hijacking drill, with chaos ensuing when the crew unexpectedly encounter a real armed criminal attempting to hijack the flight, was both hilarious and gripping. It was just one of a number of productions being held that day.

Offstage, four special audience members sat in the front row, focused intently on the play. They weren't just there to be entertained — they also had the responsibility of deciding whether it would receive financial support to be developed into a full-length show.

The four were Shen Teng and Ma Li, who are both actors, director Feng Xiaogang, and actor-filmmaker Xu Zheng — the top celebrities in Chinese comedy cinema — and their job was to vote for the most appealing shows, which were awarded bonuses ranging from 200,000 yuan ($27,295) to 500,000 yuan.