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Intro to Opera

Getting to Know Opera

What is Opera, Anyway?
This PowerPoint accompanies the lesson What is Opera, Anyway?  It is a compilation of illustrations from the book Brava! Brava! A Night at the Opera.  It is a great way to introduce the many different people and skills required to put on an opera.  Includes a lot of vocabulary associated with opera as well.  A simple script for the PPoint is provided (Go to VIEW – Outline View in the PPoint to see notes on each slide).

A SOUND ANATOMY OF OPERA
Descriptions of all of the musical components in an opera – overture, aria, recitative, ensemble, chorus, orchestral music.

THE OPERATIC VOICE
A detailed definition of all the different voice types common in opera.

VOICE TYPES
Opera America’s detailed voice type resource, which includes audio excerpts for each of the voice types described.

ACTIVITY: CAREERS IN THE ARTS
This lesson encourages students to explore a wide range of careers in the arts.

Theopera101.com
A great ONLINE source for information about opera.

Opera101 – Opera History
A nice overview of opera history through the time periods.

Costume & Wardrobe

ALL ABOUT COSTUMES AND WARDROBE

Designing and Making a Costume
Head of Costume Workshops, Mal Barton, talks through the process of designing and creating a costume for the Royal Opera House main stage.

The ART of Costume Design PowerPoint
This PowerPoint is full of great pictorial references to introduce students to CLOTHING TERMINOLOGY.

Meet three of Austin Opera’s Wardrobe staff who work behind the scenes to make the magic of costumes come alive for Austin Opera’s productions.

Inside Austin Opera: Kathy Lang, Wardrobe Supervisor
Spend a few minutes with Kathy in the Wardrobe Room prior to the start of a final rehearsal of Austin Opera’s production of Ariadne auf Naxos.

Inside Austin Opera: Trinka Withers, Head Dresser
Put on your comfy shoes and get ready to follow Trinka as she shows us some of her favorite spots in the theatre.

Inside Austin Opera: Joe Adams, Assistant Wardrobe Supervisor
Join Joe at the Austin Opera Warehouse as he takes us through the steps of a costume fitting.  This video also features Abigail Jackson, from the Austin Opera Chorus.

UNIT LESSON PLANS – Costume Design
Three lessons that bring the videos and PowerPoint above together and provide ideas for engaging students in the costume process.  Technical Theatre TEKs correlated.

Making of Opera: Nabucco – Costume Design
Go behind the scenes with Costume Designer Mattie Ullrich and the Washington National Opera and discover what it takes to bring an opera to life.

Backstage at the Met Opera’s Costume Shop
Elissa Iberti, head of the Metropolitan Opera’s Costume shop, knows that every piece of lace trim, button and sash are important.  She oversees the production of 100s of costumes for multiple productions each season.  No detail is too small for the costumes adorning some of the world’s biggest opera stars.