DIRECTORIAL ANALYSIS OF OPERA DRAMATURGY IN THE CONTEXT OF CONTEMPORARY MUSIC THEATRE PRACTICE

This article investigates contemporary trends shaping the development of musical theatre, focusing on the evolving relationship between live performance processes and the pedagogical frameworks that inform directorial practice. Particular attention is paid to the fusion of practical stagecraft with theoretical inquiry in the analysis of operatic dramaturgy. The study positions the director not only as a mediator of textual meaning but also as a creative force shaping new theatrical realities through interpretive strategies. Using opera as a case study, the article examines how dramatic texts and scores undergo transformation during the staging process. It interrogates the relationship between the composer’s authorial intent, the ideological and thematic dimensions of the work, and the materialization of these elements in performative space. Central to this inquiry is the collaboration between director and conductor, dramaturgy and spectacle — relationships that are fundamental to realizing a cohesive artistic concept in opera production. The research articulates a structured model of directorial analysis, outlining its key components: thematic relevance, historical context, precedent stage interpretations, conflict and genre analysis, character construction, formal architecture, and the socio-cultural resonance of the work’s content. Emphasis is placed on aligning the director’s conceptual vision with contemporary realities, allowing for both fidelity to the work and innovative reimagining. Furthermore, the study examines the layered and symbolic nature of operatic meaning-making, highlighting the role of polyphony — both musical and interpretive — in shaping stage narratives. Drawing on pedagogical practices and analytical exercises conducted with master’s students at the P. I. Tchaikovsky National Music Academy of Ukraine, it illustrates how classical methodologies and current theatrical paradigms are synthesized in training future directors. This article affirms directorial analysis of opera as a critical, imaginative, and dramaturgically complex process — one that necessitates not only technical and theoretical rigor but also affective and conceptual engagement with the work. Ultimately, it positions such analysis as foundational to generating original, emotionally compelling productions that resonate with present-day audiences.