What in the heck is a Sitzprobe?

sitzprobe (n.) from the German for "seated trial", sitzprobe is a term used in opera and musical theatre to describe a seated rehearsal where the singers sing with the orchestra, focusing attention on integrating the two groups. The equivalent Italian term is prova all'italiana. (from the Oxford Dictionary of Opera)

So there you have it. And we did "it" yesterday afternoon with the cast and orchestra of WEST SIDE STORY. Although I was majorly stressed about how the rehearsal would go, I am very happy to report that my "fears" were unfounded.

We set up the 19-piece orchestra on the stage with the cast seated in two rows behind them. I'm not sure if it was excitement or maybe panic on my part, but as the vocalists and instrumentalists started to trickle in and warm-up, there was certainly an air of anticipation in the room. I am sure that for many of the cast this was their first experience with this sort of run-through. It is only the second time I have run one in the ten years I have been at Civic. (The first was for RAGTIME in 2006.) At any rate, as one o'clock approached and everyone was ready to go, I took to the podium ready as I was ever going to be to tackle this insanely brilliant and challenging score.

Why a sitzprobe? Well, in preparing for this season, given the challenges I knew this show would place before us, I felt that having a session to concentrate solely on the score with everyone involved would help to eliminate confusion and consternation during dress rehearsals - the time when we traditionally throw the orchestra into the mix. The goal was to get a jump on issues that normally arise (but on a small scale with more "traditional" scores) such as tempo changes, various instruments playing parts the cast was used to hearing from a piano, cues and pick-ups, etc...

Was it a success? Tonight's rehearsal will be the true test. Beyond that, though, I can say that I was most pleased with the way things went. It was evident that the orchestra members had spent time on their own rehearsing the trickiest parts of the score. They played well! The cast was also great; focused and, I think, impressed with the sound we were all working to produce. It should be mentioned that the orchestra had only been together twice before yesterday's session - a total of 6 hours. So, I can't say enough about how nice it is to be working with such a talented and cohesive group of musicians and how fortunate I feel to be working in a theatre that prides itself on having a full LIVE orchestra for ALL musical productions - a rarity in the city.

So, we shall continue to polish and cement things as we work through this week towards opening night on Friday! Tonight it all comes together for the first time - costumes, lights, sound, scenery, props, orchestra, choreography, staging, actors. Very exciting!

Be sure to check back for more posts this week. And, if you haven't already, get your tickets now! They are going fast! Visit www.civictheatre.org or call the Box Office - 317.923.4597.

That's all for now!