You’ve bought your ticket, you’ve dressed up (or not — no judgment), and you’ve just been handed a glossy program at the door. Now you’re in your seat with fifteen minutes before curtain, flipping through pages of names, photos, and dense paragraphs. Where do you even start?

Don’t worry. I’ve got you. After years in the business and many more years reviewing from the audience, I’ve developed a system for getting the most out of an opera program in the time you actually have. Here’s how to read one like a pro.

The Cast Page — Start Here

This is the most important page, and you should find it first. It lists every performer by role, plus the conductor, director, and key creative team members.

A few things to look for:

Role names and voice types. Most programs list the character name, the singer’s name, and their voice type (soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, baritone, bass). This helps you follow who’s who when the singing starts. If you see an asterisk or a dagger symbol next to a name, check the footnotes — it usually means a role debut or a cover (understudy) stepping in.

The conductor. The conductor shapes everything you’re about to hear. If you’re new to opera, you might not recognise the name, and that’s fine. But regulars will know that a performance led by, say, Andrea Molino will have a different character than one led by Renato Palumbo. The conductor matters enormously.

The director. This is the person responsible for the visual staging — what the production looks like, how the singers move, the overall dramatic interpretation. If a program says “revival director,” it means the original director isn’t remounting the show personally, and someone else is recreating their vision.

The Synopsis — Your Secret Weapon

Never skip the synopsis. Seriously. Even if you’ve seen the opera before.

Opera plots can be convoluted. Characters have multiple names (their character name, their disguise name, the name their lover calls them). The synopsis gives you the bones of the story, act by act, so you can follow along even if you miss a surtitle or two.

A pro tip: read the synopsis for each act just before that act begins, not all at once beforehand. By interval, you’ll have forgotten the details of Act III if you read it at the start of the evening. Take 60 seconds before each act and you’ll be oriented throughout.

The Director’s Note — Worth a Skim

Most programs include a note from the director explaining their vision for the production. These range from insightful to impenetrable. If the director writes clearly about why they’ve set Rigoletto in 1960s Las Vegas instead of Renaissance-era Mantua, that context will enhance your experience. If the note is three paragraphs of post-structuralist theory, feel free to move on.

Same goes for the dramaturg’s essay, if there is one. The best ones give you historical context — when the opera was written, what was happening in the composer’s life, how the premiere was received. Opera Australia’s programs usually include solid contextual essays, and they’re worth your time.

The Creative Team Credits

Further into the program, you’ll find credits for the set designer, costume designer, lighting designer, and choreographer. These are the people who created the visual world of the production.

Pay attention to the set and costume designers in particular. If a production looks stunning (or bizarre), these are the people responsible. Over time, you’ll start recognising names — you might discover that you consistently love productions designed by Dan Potra, for example, and that becomes a reason to buy a ticket.

The Orchestra and Chorus Lists

These pages list every musician and chorus member by name. I’m biased, having been a chorus member, but I think these lists deserve a moment of your attention. That’s 40 to 80 musicians and 30 to 60 chorus singers — real people with years of training, performing at an extraordinarily high level. A quick scan reminds you of the scale of human effort behind what you’re about to see.

The Sponsor and Donor Pages

You can skip these if you want. But if you’re curious about how opera gets funded in Australia, a glance at the sponsor pages is revealing. You’ll see government logos (Australia Council, state arts bodies), corporate sponsors, and lists of individual donors at various giving levels.

It’s a reminder that ticket sales alone don’t cover the cost of grand opera. Not even close. Every performance you attend is subsidised by a web of public and private funding.

What You Can Skip

The advertisements. Unless you need a new watch or a wealth management advisor.

The biographies. These are detailed CVs for every performer and creative team member. They’re comprehensive but long. If you want to learn more about a particular singer after the show, come back to these. Don’t try to read them all before curtain.

My 15-Minute Routine

Here’s my actual pre-show routine, refined over years:

1. Cast page — who’s singing what (2 minutes)
2. Act I synopsis — what’s about to happen (2 minutes)
3. Director’s note — skim for key ideas (3 minutes)
4. Context essay — if time allows (5 minutes)
5. Another glass of wine — essential preparation (3 minutes)

At interval, I read the synopsis for the next act and glance at any biographies that interest me. It’s a system. It works.

Now stop reading and enjoy the show.