In order to keep operating, some theaters began to step outside of the rules, to develop theater that combined the styles of Eastern and Western dramas and musicals. Insiders termed this new theatrical genre "o-pei-la."
一些戲班為了繼續演出，便跳脫規範，發展出一套雜揉東西洋新劇（話劇）和歌舞劇味道的「歌劇」表演形式，圈內人稱之為「胡撇仔」（opera）。