At the crossroads of the arts, literature, history and technology, this course places the practice of opera within a set of contingencies that deserve to be known by performers and lovers of opera in general. The aim is to study librettos using literature, history and music to provide the understanding needed to interpret them, without attempting to stage them.

In this course, dramaturgy becomes a discussion, a sharing of questions ("How do you create subtext?", "Why can't I see the psychology of the characters when I read a libretto?") and elements of answers.