I am asked many times a day what goes on behind the scenes and how many people we have working in the San Carlo Theatre. It will no doubt amaze you to know that excluding Directors, Orchestra, Artistes and Chorus we have 167 Italian Civilians, and five British Military Personnel working in the Opera House. The hardest worked members are the stagehands and it is about them I wish to write in this short article.

Every morning at 7.30 five electricians and twenty stagehands report for duty. When we have ten operas running at one time as we had over Christmas, it is impossible to raise scenery in its exact position and leave it there. Therefore the previous day's large backcloths have to be taken off their battens and moved to the rear, doubled-up and raised to the roof; meanwhile other men are sorting out the various pieces of scenery that are stacked at the side of the stage. It is easier to have backcloths but not so effective, therefore most of the San Carlo scenery is built from stage level. The time this moving takes depends on the Opera. If we have just finished Faust and La Boheme in one day, that means nine different scenes: six in Faust and three in La Boheme, and this would take longer than smaller operas but they usually finish about 9.30.

All the scenery used in the San Carlo is built on the Stage ; unlike Rome we have no workshops or doors through which scenery can be brought in. Most of the scenery is designed or painted by Mario Cristini and his staff in the theatre's paint-shop which stretches across the top of the auditorium, but occasionaIly certain pieces are hired from Rome. The scenery is then put together on the stage between 9 and 11.30 if there is no stage rehearsal, while the orchestra is rehearsing in the orchestra pit, with the safety curtain (which is almost sound proof) lowered.

At 11.30 the afternoon opera must be prepared and the stage cleared. At 12.30 the opera house is peaceful except for the whir of a few vacuum cleaners as the cleaners finish their work.

At 13.30 activity starts again when fifteen more electricians and twenty more stage-hands arrive to help move the heavy scenery as quickly as possible. Therefeore when the performance commences we have about twenty electricians and forty stage-hands working.

Again, unlike Rome, we have no lifts on the stage and all our platforms and stair-cases have to be built by hand which is no easy task, especially in Turandot.

If there is no evening performance the stage-hands clear the stage after the afternoon performance and go home about six o'clock but if there is an evening performance the early morning procedure has to be repeated between 18.00 and 19.00 hours. The stage staff then work until the end of the opera and leave the theatre at about 22.15 hrs.

Perhaps you think the intervals rather long at times, but I can assure you that Antonio Di Scala, the hardest worked man in the opera house, and his staff do a very fine job of work, and it would be almost impossible to cut down the time.