Opera is a form of theatrical drama. Nevertheless, in contrast to ordinary plays, operas are set to music, and also the primary characters sing their lines. They are accompanied by an orchestra, which is placed inside a basement area between the audience and stage, known as the orchestra pit.

Opera brings individuals with a wide variety of skills with each other below the exact same roof, all working towards the same goal – overall performance. A composer writes the music, and a librettist adapts the words of an original story so that they are suitable for singing. A director and designer work closely with each other to choose what each production will look like, and how the performers will act on stage. Performers include soloists, chorus singers, occasionally dancers, instrumentalists and a conductor, who should keep all the music below control. Many people do essential operate behind the scenes of an opera but get very little credit: scene-painters, carpenters, electricians, costume- and wig-makers, make-up artists, dressers, scenery movers, lighting technicians, stage managers, rehearsal pianists, assistant directors, box-office attendants, ushers and company administrators. A single opera performance requires all these individuals to operate difficult together and fit in with each others’ complicated schedules.

The art of opera

In contrast to television or film drama, opera drama is not supposed to be realistic. Opera is larger than life, a globe of magical relationships, perfect love, coincidental meetings – a world of make-believe. It demands a suspension of disbelief, that is, audiences must forget that the action on stage is not actual to ensure that they can experience the drama fully. For example, in numerous operas, lovers warble poetic words at each other, in high-pitched tones. This doesn’t occur in most people’s actual lives, but the emotions expressed can still be appreciated.

On the other hand, opera enables some things that do happen in real life to be expressed far more neatly than could ever be achieved in film drama. Imagine four people in a room, each with strong feelings along with a point of view to put across. Inside a film, if they all talked at once there would just be a jumble of noise. In an opera, however, they can sing, and although their individual feelings may be really various, a skilled composer can lock their voices neatly together so that a single harmonious whole is produced. It’s artificial but very effective within the theatre, and stunning to hear, as well.