Surtitles are becoming increasingly common in both non-musical and musical theatre. They are sometimes used during performances by foreign guests or during opera performances that are conducted in the libretto’s original language. Like film subtitles, surtitles have space limitations and require careful timing to ensure that audience members have enough time to read them. The biggest difference between surtitles and subtitles, however, lies in the live nature of theatre – since the timing can change from evening to evening, surtitles are steered live, ideally by the surtitler.

In operas, a musical score dictates much of the timing, but under different conductors, the tempo can still vary. When arias are repeated or during instrumental passages, for instance, it’s important that there be a pause in the surtitling, so that the audience can fully focus on the music.