What is Sitzprobe?

Sitzprobe [Noun]

German: die Sitzprobe | die Sitzproben

seated rehearsal

musical theatre, Opera

Sitzprobe. What a strange word. What is a sitzprobe? I have a very vague idea, and, since I keep seeing it on rehearsal schedules, I decided it’s probably time I understand the term. The only kind of 'sitz' I know of is the kind of bath you take when you are experiencing “discomfort” in certain areas. I found that one out the hard way after giving birth. If you couple that with the idea of a probe, then my mind conjures up all kinds of terrifying images that, for some reason, involve aliens. Surely, that can’t be what is being referred to on a rehearsal schedule.

After some Googling, I found out the word sitzprobe translated from German means seated rehearsal. It refers to the first rehearsal where the musicians and singers rehearse together. Before a sitzprobe,
actors are rehearsing with either a soundtrack or piano, and the musicians are practicing independently. The sitzprobe brings them all together. During a sitzprobe, the conductor works through all the music without the distractions of costumes, staging, or set pieces so that music is the only focus. It’s a chance for the musicians and singers to get used to each other, set tempos, and look for any kinks that may need to be ironed out.

It's amazing to think of how many different things must come together to produce a show. Sitting in the audience, we get lost in the magic and take for granted all that must happen from the inception of an idea to its final product. A sitzprobe is just one more piece of that carefully choreographed dance that makes the theater magic happen. It is an important piece of the rehearsal process that gives actors and musicians a chance to learn to work together.

Angela