Regia

Surtitles

Surtitles show the text of the show, or its translation, above the stage or on a separate screen. Regia keeps them as a list of lines you advance one at a time, with a key, from the phone or from the timeline.

Importing the text

In the Surtitles workspace press Import text and pick the file. Regia reads:

  • plain text (.txt, .md): one surtitle per paragraph (if blank lines separate paragraphs) or one per line;
  • Word (.docx), OpenOffice/LibreOffice (.odt) and RTF documents: one surtitle per paragraph;
  • SRT, VTT, SBV, ASS/SSA subtitles and LRC lyrics: one surtitle per line of dialogue, without the timings.

You can also type lines by hand: + Line adds a line at the end. Click a line to edit it; the bin that appears on hover removes it.

Several languages

For two or more languages at once (Italian on top, English below):

  • in the file, separate the languages with “ | ” on the same line: Che notte! | What a night!;
  • or, in Appearance › Languages, press Add a language and type the translations in the new column.

Each language has its own column in the list and its own line on screen.

Advancing

At the top of the workspace:

  • Next shows the next line;
  • the left arrow goes back one;
  • Hide clears the text from the screen (for pauses and scene changes);
  • clicking a line number shows that line right away.

The line on screen is highlighted in green and the list follows it.

During the show you can also advance:

  • with a key or a pedal: under Connections › Triggers map a key to Next surtitle;
  • from the phone, with the Operator role;
  • from the timeline, with an Action › Surtitles element in a cue, when the line coincides with a light or music change;
  • over OSC with /regia/surtitle/next.

Appearance

In the Appearance panel on the right:

  • Enabled: switches surtitles on or off;
  • Surface: the whole stage or a video surface (for example a screen above the proscenium with its own output);
  • Height: where the text appears, as a percentage from the top (90% = at the bottom);
  • text Size in pixels, Font (including imported ones), Color;
  • Background: a dark band behind the text, to read it over any image;
  • Width: text wraps beyond this width (auto = almost the full width).

Tip: for opera, put surtitles on a dedicated output with a surface that covers only the screen above the stage, and use a USB pedal as the trigger: your hands stay free for the score.