Supernumerary actors are usually amateur character actors in

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libre ...

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 ...

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 branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...

''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 (Met) in New York and the Washington National Opera 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.

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, *''Opera: A Concise History''; by Leslie Orrey and Rodney Milnes. (World of Art.) London: Thames & Hudson

{{col-end Acting Stage terminology