 Color and clothing distinguished the rank of theatre actors in the Song . Similar to vendors who wore specific outfits to identify which guild they belonged to , actors ' generic costumes reflected the role type they played on stage , whether it be student , young man , young woman , official , soldier , etc . Actors honed their theatrical skills at drama schools . Musicians also found work in the theatre industry , since plays performed in the markets were often accompanied by music . Actors on stage always spoke their lines in Classical Chinese ; vernacular Chinese that imitated the common spoken language was not introduced into theatrical performances until the Yuan dynasty . Although trained to speak in the erudite Classical language , acting troupes commonly drew their membership from one of the lowest classes in society : prostitutes . Themes enjoyed in stage skits varied from satires about corrupt officials to comedy acts with titles like " Setting fire when delivering the soup , " " Raising a ruckus in the <unk> , " " The peony smells best when the wine is stolen , " and " Catching a monkey in a restaurant . " The only <unk> play to have survived from the Southern Song era is the Zhang Xie <unk> yuan ( <unk> ) , featuring interludes such as a clown stealing food and wine at a wedding banquet in act 16 and a quick comedy sketch about renting a room in act 24 . 
