Artists from Tibet's Nakarze county perform Drime Gedun during the region's eighth Tibetan Opera Show in Dzongyab Lukhang Park, Lhasa. [Photo by Palden Nyima/China Daily]

"A longer opera takes more than six hours, and a short one takes about four hours," Tenzin Lodro said. "The performers are not allowed for food in the process, and both the audience and the performers are very patient."

It's been more than 30 years since the troupe was established, he said, and the number of performers in the troupe has grown to 24, performing four kinds of opera during key festivals all year.

Tibetan opera has four schools, including Jangkar, Junpa, Shangpa, and Jomolung. It was recognized as an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO in September 2009.