Author Topic: Opera Rehearsal Reports  (Read 8071 times)

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gina_teresa

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Opera Rehearsal Reports
« on: Jan 02, 2007, 09:58 pm »
I am tour managing an educational opera tour for the first time.  I was wondering if anyone has a rehearsal report form that is more specifically geared towards opera?  I have one that I've always used for straight theatre, but feel it isn't quite adequate.  Just wondering what might be different on an opera report.  Thanks.

OldeWolf

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Re: Opera Rehearsal Reports
« Reply #1 on: Jan 03, 2007, 11:04 am »
I haven't done opera, but my impulse would be to try to identify what I felt was missing from the form I use and create my own form to make room for those things. When I got to my college the form they were using was in exel and really difficult to use. Before I left I ASM'd a show with an awesome, computer-wiz SM who re-wrote the form using the table format in Word. She graciously gave me permission not only to put it into my arsenal of paperwork, but also to leave a copy in the theatre department files for my successors. If you're not a Word Wizard, maybe you know someone who is and can help you.

Owen

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smejs

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Re: Opera Rehearsal Reports
« Reply #2 on: Jan 03, 2007, 03:49 pm »
The fact that you said "educational opera tour" makes me think a little differently....I did one in the fall, and it was a very laid-back kind of report.  They basically only needed to know major things that happened at the schools/venues.  I'd do one for each day, and we usually did 2 schools in a day.  I listed the name of the school, what times we started the workshops and then the performance, and then anything different....The educational staff wanted some idea of the "problem" schools, plus we had an actor who was sick for much of the 2 week run, so we cut some of his stuff.  I'd talk to your opera staff and see how much info they want, but you may in fact need to put very little in the "report."  I didn't even have divisions for departments, as there were often only 1 or 2 notes in the whole thing.

Oh, wait, re-reading....you're only talking about rehearsal reports.  Again, these people were fairly laid back, but I did do more of departmentalized headings in these.  One that said what we covered that day, and then notes for each department.  I also had a section for script changes (i.e., we're only doing the 1st verse of such-and-such song).  I'd go with Owen and say to create your own version. 

Erin

gina_teresa

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Re: Opera Rehearsal Reports
« Reply #3 on: Jan 03, 2007, 04:50 pm »
Thanks Erin -

I was able to adapt my own, it worked out alright today and with some more tweaking I think it will work perferctly well for the rest of the rehearsal period.  As for performance reports, that's sort of what I expected, they did give me a list of what sort of information they are looking for, including most of the things you mentioned as well as audience response and demographics.  I will be able to use a template they have from the past and build from that. 

Gina

ljh007

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Re: Opera Rehearsal Reports
« Reply #4 on: Jan 04, 2007, 04:29 pm »
My opera performance and rehearsal reports are very similar to my theatre/musical reports in that I have sections for all production departments (set/light/costumes/props/fx & other), attendance, etc. It sounds like the job you're doing for this educational tour is very different from doing an actual opera. If you do need to make reports for a full opera, I would recommend two specific things:
- add a music and orchestra notes section to your report. This is important as cuts are created and adjusted, or as musical issues arise (added fermata, bandas, maestro issues, etc), as the music is the most important part of the opera world.
- you will need to keep very careful track of the time, as your orchestra will probably be union even if the rest of the house is not. So you should add timings for: first tune, downbeat, end of Act I/begin intermission, end of intermission/begin Act II, tune 2, second downbeat, end of opera, final curtain. There are many complicated rules and regulations for the orchestra, and usually their clock begins when they tune and ends on the final cutoff. So you must track this very carefully in case the is an overtime debate.

When on tour, it's usually good to add a "venue issues" section to a report.

Just curious - what sort of program are you touring?

centaura

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Re: Opera Rehearsal Reports
« Reply #5 on: Jan 05, 2007, 05:39 pm »
Quote
When on tour, it's usually good to add a "venue issues" section to a report.

That was a big one with most of the companies that I was touring with.  They wanted to know about the conditions at the venues - details of anything that was out of the ordinary that was good to know about the space.  I even have my own files with that type of information, so that when I went back to a venue I could recall the things that I needed to know without racking my brain.  After I'd been to a couple hundred venues it got really, really hard to keep them sorted in my head without my private notes!

-Centaura

liamproche

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Re: Opera Rehearsal Reports
« Reply #6 on: Feb 02, 2007, 10:18 pm »
Hello,
I'm sort of new to opera myself, but it seems that the extra catagories you would want to include on the rehearsal reports, as opposed to straight theater, would be:

Music
Supertitles (takes a little practice to recognize situations this would effect)
Publicity
EXTREMELY DETAILED TIMINGS
and always- Wigs as well as makeup

aside from that I've been using the usual catagories of: Lighting, Scenery, Props, Late performers, Material covered, etc. and no one in the company has complained so far..........Good luck, opera is definatly intresting.
« Last Edit: Feb 02, 2007, 10:26 pm by liamproche »

 

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