sitzprobe

English

Alternative forms

• Sitzprobe

Etymology

Borrowed from German Sitzprobe (“seated rehearsal”). From sitz +‎ probe.

Noun

sitzprobe (plural sitzprobes)

1. The first run-through of an opera or musical in which the orchestra and singers rehearse together, covering only those portions of the piece in which the orchestra plays, and in which the singers sit or stand at microphones, but do not block out any action.
   • 2012, Shannon Slaton, Mixing a Musical: Broadway Theatrical Sound Mixing Techniques:

     However, something happens with almost every musical that puts the cast on edge, when the cast takes the stage for the sitzprobe or wandelprobe.

   • 2015, Nigel Simeone, John Tyrrell, Charles Mackerras, page 126:

     It was a sitzprobe and the music was just popping up out of the pit – I was sitting right behind him – and he was having a ball.

   • 2019, Matthew White, Staging Musicals: An Essential Guide, page 171:

     During the sitzprobe the actors will usually stand in front of microphones and sing through the entire show, omitting any unaccompanied sections of dialogue. However, any spoken passages which are underscored with music will also need to be rehearsed.

Usage notes

Some people consider only the lower case version of this term to be proper English, and consider any upper case version (other than at the start of a sentence or in a title) to be a German word.