Surtitles
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Supertitles or SURTITLESTM (a registered trademark of the Canadian Opera Company[1]) are translated or transcribed lyrics projected above a stage or displayed on a screen, commonly used in opera or other musical performances. The word "surtitle" comes from the French "sur", meaning "over" or "on", and the English word "title", formed in a similar way to the related subtitle.
Surtitles are used either to translate the meaning of the lyrics into the audience's language, or to transcribe lyrics that may be difficult to understand in the sung form. The two possible types of presentation of surtitles are as projected text, or as the electronic libretto system. Titles in the theatre have proven a commercial success in areas such as opera, and are finding increased use for allowing hearing impaired patrons to enjoy theatre productions more fully. Surtitles are used in live productions in the same way as subtitles are used in movie and television productions.
[edit] Projected titles or translations
Generally projected above the theatre's proscenium arch (but, alternately, on either side of the stage), surtitles are usually displayed using a supertitling machine. The text must be prepared beforehand as in subtitles. These machines can be used for events other than artistic performances, when the text is easier to show to the audience than it is to vocalize.
Surtitles are different from subtitles, which are more often used in film and television presentations. Originally, translations would be broken up into small chunks and photographed onto slides that could be projected onto a screen above the stage, but most companies now use a combination of video projectors and computers. It is generally agreed that the first performance of opera using surtitles was the Canadian Opera Company's January 1983 staging of Elektra.
The surtitle is given an insertion point in the score (piano score)for the surtitle's entry and exit. An operator will push a button at the marked point when following the music.
[edit] Electronic libretto system
Many people believe that surtitles can interfere with the enjoyment of a show, because they tend to find themselves following the titles and not giving their full attention to the stage. This problem was solved by the development of an electronic libretto system, which utilizes individual screens placed in front of each seat allowing patrons either to view a translation or to switch them off during the performance. New York's Metropolitan Opera, which installed the patented Met Titles, was the first house in the United States to use this system.
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