The Beginner’s Guide to Opera Stage Management: Gathering the Tools You Need to Work in Opera

225 Pages·2022·25.191 MB·English

by  Danielle Ranno

The Beginner’s
Guide to
Opera Stage
Management
The Beginner’s Guide to Opera Stage Management is the first book to cover the-
atrical stage management practices specifically for opera productions, providing
an invaluable step-by-step guide.
Beginning with a brief history of opera and detailing its difference from theater,
the book covers stage management best practices through prep, rehearsals, tech,
performance, and wrap up. From the moment a manager accepts a contract, right
through to archiving paperwork, this essential toolkit covers each step of a stage
manager’s journey. Working with a score, reading music, working with singers,
conductors, and musicians, basic duties of a stage manager versus an assistant stage
manager, and other tasks specific to opera are also included in this comprehensive
guide. This book is full of tips and tricks, as well as the good, bad, and ugly stories
from opera stage managers, sharing both their experiences and mistakes.
This is the perfect how-to book for the professional or emerging stage manager
looking to work in opera, or to expand their existing stage management skillset.
Danielle Ranno has worked in opera for over a decade, both regionally and inter-
nationally. Credits include Lincoln Center, Seattle Opera, The Glimmerglass
Festival, Opera Columbus, On-Site Opera, International Summer Opera Festival
of Morelia, Lakes Area Music Festival, Brevard Music Center, Opera Grand
Rapids, Tri-Cities Opera, and The Castleton Festival. She also regularly works
on Broadway plays and musicals, including the Tony Award winning play, The
Lehman Trilogy, Six, and &Juliet. Danielle has a BA in Communications, with
a concentration in Public Relations from Florida Gulf Coast University and
an MFA from Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University in Stage
Management. She is a proud member of The Actors Equity Association and
American Guild of Musical Artists.

The Beginner’s
Guide to
Opera Stage
Management
Gathering the Tools You
Need to Work in Opera
Danielle Ranno
Cover image: © Rebekah Bruce
First published 2023
by Routledge
605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158
and by Routledge
4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2023 Danielle Ranno
The right of Danielle Ranno to be identified as author of this work has
been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced
or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other
means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and
recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without
permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks
or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and
explanation without intent to infringe.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Ranno, Danielle, author.
Title: The beginner’s guide to opera stage management : gathering the tools
you need to work in opera / Danielle Ranno.
Description: [1.] | New York, NY : Routledge, 2022. | Includes index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2022024310 (print) | LCCN 2022024311 (ebook) |
ISBN 9780367497934 (hardback) | ISBN 9780367497927 (paperback) |
ISBN 9781003047391 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Opera--Production and direction. | Stage management.
Classification: LCC MT955 .R34 2022 (print) | LCC MT955 (ebook) |
DDC 792.602/3--dc23/eng/20220523
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022024310
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022024311
ISBN: 9780367497934 (hbk)
ISBN: 9780367497927 (pbk)
ISBN: 9781003047391 (ebk)
DOI: 10.4324/9781003047391
Typeset in Times New Roman
by KnowledgeWorks Global Ltd.
Contents
Foreword by Dean Anthony ix
Preface xi
Acknowledgments xiii
Introduction 1
Chapter 1: Opera Background 3
What Is Opera? 3
Brief History 3
Top Ten Operas to Know 6
Chapter 2: Document Design 7
Who Is the Document Going To? 7
How Is My Document Prepared and Where Is it Stored? 8
Color and Shading 9
What’s in a Name? 11
The Breakdown on Headers and Footers 15
Continuity 16
To PDF or Not to PDF, That Is the Question? 19
Chapter 3: Prep Week 21
Resources to Begin With 22
Who Does What 23
PSM Prep 27
ASM Prep 34
Scores and Translations 46
Putting Together Your Book 52
Questions to Ask 59
vi CONTENTS
Chapter 4: Rehearsal 61
Setting Up the Rehearsal Room 61
Crash Course on Taping 64
Adding the Finishing Touches 68
Types of Rehearsal 69
Who’s Who in the Room 73
In the Room 75
Chapter 5: Rehearsal Paperwork 89
Stage Management Paperwork 89
Assistant Director Paperwork 103
The Anatomy of a Cheat Sheet 106
Assistant Stage Management Paperwork 106
Chapter 6: Tech 117
Designer Run 117
Paperwork 120
After the Final Room Run 126
Loading into the Theater 127
Rehearsal During Tech Week 135
What about the ASM Calling Stations? 146
Lighting and Cuing 149
Types of Cues and Their Names 150
Cue Lights 159
Placing Cues in the Score 161
Maestro Cam 161
Rehearsal Reports During Tech 164
Days Off 165
Chapter 7: Performance 167
Finalizing the Pre-Show Routines 167
Performance Schedule and Calls 170
Opera and Subs 175
Working with Front of House 176
Top of Show Sequence 177
Performance Report 181
CONTENTS vii
Passing the Baton 182
Brush Ups and Cover Rehearsals 185
Emergency Plans 187
Bows 188
Opening Night 189
Chapter 8: Archiving 193
Archived Checklist 193
Why Archive Your Work? 194
What to Archive? 196
Final Advice 198
Appendix 199
Index 207

Foreword
It’s high time for a book of this caliber and guidance to be written, and, in my
mind, it has been written by the perfect person.
I first met Danielle in a production of Il barbiere di Siviglia I was directing at
Opera Naples in 2014. Now in 2021, we’ve done countless productions together
with several in the future, and if I had my choice, she would get packed in my
suitcase for every job I have.
The Beginner’s Guide To Opera Stage Management is a clear, and concise
guide for any young stage manager, director, administrator, or singer to under-
stand the job description and level of commitment needed for stage manage-
ment. It’s truly a step-by-step pathway to success. The comparisons between
theater and opera are beyond valuable and I honestly feel it should be mandatory
reading for any artist that enters a rehearsal room.
I have the utmost respect for the stage managers of the world and they are
often the last to be thanked. Always the first to arrive and the last to leave. Often
expected to miss nothing, and be two steps ahead of everyone. Sometimes a
traffic cop, and sometimes a stand-in actor who already knows the blocking.
Caregiver fits for me. Especially when I’m told I need water instead of coffee. 
They are the treasure of our industry.
I’ve watched Danielle teach her “craft” of stage management to many young
interns over the years and each of them has grown, prospered, and valued her
on so many levels. I admire her attention to detail, her work ethic, her ability
to manage just about everything in the room, including me. We both believe
our matching “Virgo” tendencies befit our calling and are well suited for this
industry. We are in tune to the point that she often finishes my sentences or has
already written down a note before I even speak. But what wraps up everything
about Danielle is her spirit and kindness. I’m humbled, honored, and grateful
to work alongside her, and mostly, to call her my dear friend.
Dean Anthony
Director of Opera,
The Janiec Opera Company of the Brevard Music Center