To quote myself..............
There are a few key differences that need to be taken into account when SMing an opera. (Please disregard of the following information that you are already aware of.)
First and foremost, performers do not take their own entrances. They must be cued by an ASM. This usually requires 2 ASMs for a production (one SL one SR.) They must also be paged to the stage from their dressing rooms. I believe the standard is 5min before their entrance for principals, 10min for chorus and supers. (super= supernumerary, a non-singing, non-speaking actor in an opera.)
An absolutely vital tool you will need to implement is timing intervals in your score. These can be done in either 15sec or 30sec increments throughout each act. These increments become vital when paging performers, organizing quick-changes, and planning scene shifts. (Usually these increments will not vary more than 5secs from run to run depending on the experience of the maestro). They can either be taken off of a recording of the opera, or during the first run (a more accurate way to go about it.)
There is also some paperwork that will be required that I don't think is standard in musical theatre such as the WWW (Who, what, where). This is a sequential listing of ALL entrances and exits in the show along with the corresponding page/system/measure of where they occur in the score, and is usually complete with prop notes as well as quick-change information (who, time alloted, etc.) Feel free to pm me for an example.
Also, remember that supertitles are their own department in opera and will need to be included in the rehearsal reports. (It may take a little practice to recognize situations that would effect these such as: dialogue changes, certain blocking arrangements, and some prop changes.)
When dealing with such a large cast, I HIGHLY recommend you implement sign-in sheets for chorus, supers and dancers. This will make attendance tracking a payroll a breeze. Name tags are also a good idea as trying to record blocking without them can be a NIGHTMARE!!!! I usually use different color name badges depending on if the performer is a super, dancer, or chorus member. Often I will also add the vocal register of the chorus member to the name tag, or the role of the super (i.e guard or priest)
Many companies will also supply you with an AD, who serves as a vital part of the stage management team by taking all blocking notation and staging cover rehearsals. This frees the PSM up to focus on running the rehearsals, and allows the ASMs to focus on calling entrance cues, dealing with rehearsal costumes/props, and standing in for missing performers (you will most-likely have a good amount of principal staging rehearsals that do not include the supers/chorus/dancers, and the ASMs are usually responsible for walking the blocking for those characters the principals interact with).
Sometimes you even get a scheduling department too :-D.
................Feel free to PM me with any other questions you may have. I often find myself at the other end of the spectrum (I know my opera, but it's been a LONG time sine I've done theatre).
