Opera Rehearsal Do's and Don'ts (from the perspective of the music staff)
An opera rehearsal, particularly a staging rehearsal, can be a very complex, time-crunched process, with many moving parts and many people involved. Here are are some tips on what to do and what not to do during a rehearsal, based on our observations in student productions as well as in professional situations….
Do....
... arrive a little bit before your call time:
If you are called at 10:00 AM, you should be ready to start rehearsing at 10:00 AM, not 10:05. Time is very precious in rehearsal, and directors, conductors, coaches, simply can't wait around for everyone to take three minutes here and there. That means that you should arrive a little early in order to prepare yourself for the rehearsal (i.e. put on your rehearsal skirts, shoes, get your score and pencil ready, etc.)
... greet your colleagues when you arrive:
A friendly greeting goes a long way to set a rehearsal on the right track. Introduce yourself to people who may not know you (e.g. "Hello, I am so-and-so, and I sing Fourth-Tree-From-The-Left in the piece"). Make sure to include the music staff, we like to feel included :)
... know your music inside-out:
Singing with your score during a staging rehearsal is unprofessional, and should never happen. Wait for breaks to mark your score with staging details. You should be ready to start at any point in your music without difficulty, which means that you should know the score very well.
Don't....
... stand between the pianist and the conductor:
This is mostly important in early staging rehearsals, when the show is not yet on stage, especially when a lot of people are involved (during a larger chorus rehearsal for instance). If the pianist can't see the conductor well, the whole process will come to a disastrous halt. Don't make the music staff be traffic cops. We get grumpy when that happens!
... conduct:
Only the conductor should be conducting. You might be waiting on the side of the stage for extended periods of time, and it might be tempting to "air conduct" as you are watching your colleagues rehearse. This can be a major distraction, especially if you are within the pianist's sight line, or even the singers', and lead to a lot of confusion. Conductors tend to not take kindly to this.
... sing someone else's lines:
They are not your lines. You have your own :) Also avoid humming/singing when you are not on stage.
... chat:
The only people who should be talking are the director (or their assistants) and the conductor. If everyone starts whispering on stage about post-rehearsal drinks, or weekend plans, the whole process becomes very chaotic. It is very common for a director/conductor to yell "quiet on stage!" (or "Ruhe auf der Bühne" in German), but really it's better when they don't have to do that!
... put things on the piano:
Especially liquids. The piano is not a table, nor a coat rack. We get pretty territorial, so watch out!
These are some of our observations; do you have rehearsal tips (or pet peeves?) Share them in the comments!
An opera rehearsal, particularly a staging rehearsal, can be a very complex, time-crunched process, with many moving parts and many people involved. Here are are some tips on what to do and what not to do during a rehearsal, based on our observations in student productions as well as in professional situations….
Do....
... arrive a little bit before your call time:
If you are called at 10:00 AM, you should be ready to start rehearsing at 10:00 AM, not 10:05. Time is very precious in rehearsal, and directors, conductors, coaches, simply can't wait around for everyone to take three minutes here and there. That means that you should arrive a little early in order to prepare yourself for the rehearsal (i.e. put on your rehearsal skirts, shoes, get your score and pencil ready, etc.)
... greet your colleagues when you arrive:
A friendly greeting goes a long way to set a rehearsal on the right track. Introduce yourself to people who may not know you (e.g. "Hello, I am so-and-so, and I sing Fourth-Tree-From-The-Left in the piece"). Make sure to include the music staff, we like to feel included :)
... know your music inside-out:
Singing with your score during a staging rehearsal is unprofessional, and should never happen. Wait for breaks to mark your score with staging details. You should be ready to start at any point in your music without difficulty, which means that you should know the score very well.
Don't....
... stand between the pianist and the conductor:
This is mostly important in early staging rehearsals, when the show is not yet on stage, especially when a lot of people are involved (during a larger chorus rehearsal for instance). If the pianist can't see the conductor well, the whole process will come to a disastrous halt. Don't make the music staff be traffic cops. We get grumpy when that happens!
... conduct:
Only the conductor should be conducting. You might be waiting on the side of the stage for extended periods of time, and it might be tempting to "air conduct" as you are watching your colleagues rehearse. This can be a major distraction, especially if you are within the pianist's sight line, or even the singers', and lead to a lot of confusion. Conductors tend to not take kindly to this.
... sing someone else's lines:
They are not your lines. You have your own :) Also avoid humming/singing when you are not on stage.
... chat:
The only people who should be talking are the director (or their assistants) and the conductor. If everyone starts whispering on stage about post-rehearsal drinks, or weekend plans, the whole process becomes very chaotic. It is very common for a director/conductor to yell "quiet on stage!" (or "Ruhe auf der Bühne" in German), but really it's better when they don't have to do that!
... put things on the piano:
Especially liquids. The piano is not a table, nor a coat rack. We get pretty territorial, so watch out!
These are some of our observations; do you have rehearsal tips (or pet peeves?) Share them in the comments!
