Supernumerary actors are usually amateur
character actors in
opera
Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...
and
ballet
Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...
performances who train under professional direction to create a believable scene.
Definition
The term's original use, from the
Latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
''supernumerarius'', meant someone paid to appear on stage in crowd scenes or in the case of opera as non-singing small parts. The word can still be found used for such in theatre and opera. It is the equivalent of "
extra" in the motion picture industry. Any established opera company will have a supernumerary core of artists to enhance the opera experience. The
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an American opera company based in New York City, currently resident at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center), Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Referred ...
(Met) in New York and the
Washington National Opera
Washington National Opera (WNO) is an American opera company in Washington, D.C. Formerly the Opera Society of Washington and the Washington Opera, the company received Congressional designation as the National Opera Company in 2000. Performance ...
are known for their high profile and seasoned supernumeraries.
The WNO has had some major supernumerary personalities on stage such as U.S. Supreme Court Justices
Ginsburg and
Kennedy.
Typical supernumerary work
Supernumeraries are usually amateur character artists who train under professional direction to create a believable scene. They almost become part of the props and give a sense of credibility to scenes where crowds, court assistants, lackeys, peasants or a variety of period characters are needed. Some operas require over 50 supernumeraries. Work is assigned according to the ability to deliver an understated performance that doesn't "steal focus from the main actors" but it is still vibrant and effusive.
See also
*
Spear carrier
Notes
References
*''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera''; edited by Stanley Sadie (1992), 5,448 pages, is the best, and by far the largest, general reference for opera in the English language. and
*''The Viking Opera Guide'' (1994), 1,328 pages,
*''Opera, the Rough Guide''; by Matthew Boyden et al. (1997), 672 pages, {{ISBN, 1-85828-138-5
*''Opera: A Concise History''; by Leslie Orrey and
Rodney Milnes. (World of Art.) London: Thames & Hudson
Acting
Stage terminology