En-suite gaming operations
The expression en-suite performance ( French: en suite: “in the sequence, one after the other”) refers to the production method customary in a theater and is understood as the opposite of repertoire performance and guest performance . The term for this is in the opera Stagionesystem common. Sometimes a distinction is also made between the en-suite performance of the musical theater with its very long running times ( series theater ) and a stagione system with shorter series of performances.
Theaters with en-suite play always only show a single production until it is "played back" and the next follows. Around six to eight productions can be prepared and shown during one season . In the Romansh and English-speaking areas, en-suite gaming is the norm. Commercial theaters such as the venues on Broadway or the European musical theaters quickly cancel a production if it is not successful or play it while it is still profitable, ideally for several years. As an expression for successful series, en suite has therefore also become common in sport.
Other forms of operation
In contrast, the repertoire system established itself in the city and state theaters in German-speaking and Eastern Europe in the 19th century . The artistic staff is not only committed here for individual productions, but often for several years fixed at a house involved . Therefore, older productions can also be kept in the repertoire and shown from time to time. One example is the Vienna Burgtheater , which sometimes shows a different performance from its repertoire every weekday.
A well-organized guest performance , for which individual performances from other theaters or from touring troupes are “bought in”, can offer a variety like repertoire performance . However, a pure guest performance must forego in-house productions.
advantages and disadvantages
Advantages of the en-suite game operation are, for example, that an elaborate stage set does not have to be set up and dismantled several times or that the contracted artists only have to be engaged on a project basis, i.e. during rehearsals and performances of a specific production. Disadvantages are that the theater is often closed to the public during the rehearsal phases or that a series of performances can only be extended with difficulty if the success is surprising because the follow-up productions are already planned (except for commercial productions such as musicals , where the possible underuse of the theater for entrepreneurial risk).
For cost reasons, some theaters have been converted from repertoire operations to en-suite or guest performances in the last few decades. There are also numerous mixed forms such as the semi-stagione system or coproduction with other theaters.