Author Topic: Il Trittico  (Read 11325 times)

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djemily

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Il Trittico
« on: Feb 06, 2008, 02:52 am »
Hi everyone!

I just accepted a job as an ASM for the El Paso Opera. We will be doing Il Trittico [like the title... :)]. Anyway, this will be my first opera, but I have plenty of straight plays and musicals under my belt. I have read all the posts about the differences between opera and other types of theatre. I read music and speak and read/write Spanish and English. I plan on learning Italian, primarily because I want to expand my stage management to any area that I can, plus I love learning languages :)

Has anyone done this show? In my Google search I learned that the approx. run time is 4 hours. And I know about the 3 acts. Any helpful information? They still haven't signed a SM yet, so hopefully once they do I can talk to him/her and find out exactly what they'll be having me do. I pick up my script in the morning. Any advice about this show?

Thanks in advance. I hope everyone is having a great 2008 so far!

Emily

centaura

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Re: Il Trittico
« Reply #1 on: Feb 06, 2008, 09:34 am »
I've not done much opera, but hopefully someone who's done that one will stop by and offer tidbits of advice!

-Centaura

ljh007

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Re: Il Trittico
« Reply #2 on: Feb 07, 2008, 09:57 am »
Il Trittico is actually three one-act operas in one, all by Puccini. In order, they are: Il Tabarro (The Cloak, sounds like it's spelled), Suor Angelica (Sister Angelica, [sister like a nun], sounds like /Soohr/ Angelica), and Gianni Schicchi (which is a character's name in this opera, sounds like /jee-AHN-nee SKEE-kee/). You can read about the character lists and plot synopses on Google. The tune you'll recognize from this opera is the mega-famous soprano aria "O mio bambino caro" from Schicchi, which you'll see is actually kind of a farcical and manipulative song, not the sweet lovey thing it seems like on all the Opera's Greatest Hits CD's.

I've never done the show, but I do know about it. Trittico is pretty easy as operas go, because it has no dancers or kids, and there is only a small chorus in the first two parts. It is fairly easy on the singers and principal casts are small (for opera!). A director can really show his or her range with Trittico, because Tabarro is very dark and dramatic, Suor is pious and redemptive, and Schicchi is high comedy bordering on slapstick at times. I'll check the run time with SM friends who have done the show, but I think it should be more like 3.5 hours with intermissions (you'll probably take two short ones). The 4 hour time I think comes from a Met video release that also features interviews, etc, on the DVD disc. In fact, maybe you should get the disc, just to familiarize yourself with the operas. You will probably be looking at complete set changes between acts, depending on the flexibility of the design.

If this is your first opera, you'll just need to get used to working with singers and a maestro. Hopefully you'll have a fab SM who will teach you all you need to know. Oh, and always call it a score. Not a script.  ;)

Let me know if you have more specific questions about working opera in general or this one in particular. Toi toi toi!

SummerShakespeare

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Re: Il Trittico
« Reply #3 on: Feb 08, 2008, 04:04 am »
I got to do Gianni Schicchi and I loved it! Good luck!
All on the same G.O.

Joanna

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Re: Il Trittico
« Reply #4 on: Feb 13, 2008, 05:07 pm »
Welcome to the world of opera - it can be great fun and if you like classical and opera music, it's a fabulous place to work.

It's actually fairly unusual anymore for a company to do all three primarily of the time constraints most orchestra contracts have in them - it's just asking for overtime.  The two intermissions are sometimes not as short as would be preferred because the three one-acts have such different sets, so it's a complete change usually.  If you, as ASM, are in charge of the deck, your intermissions will be very busy.  You'll also be cueing on the singers - Il Tabarro isn't too bad because it's a small cast; I haven't done Suor Angelica; Gianni Schicci is fun and there is some cueing throughout, but most of the cast stays onstage the whole time.  As you are going through your score with a cd (hopefully provided by the company), mark all entrances and you'll be ahead of the game.  Be really, really, really familiar with the score while hearing the music - that's where all your cueing comes from and you need to be able to find your place often and easily.
Have a good time!

Baz

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Re: Il Trittico
« Reply #5 on: Feb 13, 2008, 07:17 pm »
Jeez! Gianni Schicchi - I got drafted in at the last minute to SM that years ago.

Richard Margison as the tenor....

Have fun!
SM'ing since God was a child.

djemily

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Re: Il Trittico
« Reply #6 on: Feb 13, 2008, 11:03 pm »
The no children or dancers part makes me smile after the last few months. The SM they are bringing in has TONS of opera experience and from the way our e-mails sounded she has no problem taking me under her wing and teaching me how things are done in opera. Thank you all for your advice. I may be back with more questions once rehearsals start at the end of Feb.

ljh007

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Re: Il Trittico
« Reply #7 on: Mar 12, 2008, 05:04 pm »
My very favorite Italian opera blogger "Opera Chic" just reviewed La Scala's TRITTICO:
http://operachic.typepad.com/opera_chic/2008/03/il-trittico-la.html

See. Opera is sassy.