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Stage Manager
The stage manager helps
the stage director manage the
rehearsals and the performers.
The stage manager writes down
where people and sets move in
the opera and manages all
performances once the stage
director is finished with
the rehearsal.
How an Opera
Stage Director
The stage director studies the
score and decides how the opera
should look and be acted out on stage.
The singers, set designer, and costume
designer help bring the director’s ideas to life.
Designers
The designers work with the director on how
the production will look. With the help of
builders, the designers create costumes,
props, and a set.
Sally Dolembo,
costume designer
William Boles,
set designer
Matthew Ozawa,
stage director
Matthew Aucoin,
composer and librettist
Librettist
A writer called the
librettist takes the story and
turns it into a script, like a play. An
opera script is called a libretto and
includes characters, scenes, and stage
directions.
Composer
The composer writes the music in a way
that best tells the story. Together, the
music and libretto make up the score.
Story
Someone, usually
a librettist or composer,
finds a story that they think
would make a good opera.
The story can be from literature,
like myths or fairy tales, or from
historical or present day events.
It can even be made up from
scratch.