Researching the Doubling of Roles in the Performing Arts

Your current research project focuses on the doubling of roles in the performing arts. What is that, and how did you become interested in the topic?

There is a research article from 1981, written by Jan Kott, which interprets Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream on the basis of a reconstruction of the original role doubling plan. Among other things, it reveals symbolic structures within the play. The article made a significant impression on me and inspired me to investigate how roles were doubled in 17th-century Italian operas. In relation to this, I discovered that one of the greatest opera stars of her time, Anna Renzi, most likely sang three roles in the premiere of Monteverdi's opera L'incoronazione di Poppea from 1643: Virtue, Ottavia, and Drusilla. The characters can be linked dramaturgically, and at the same time the doubling challenged modern ideas about the operatic voice. Today, Ottavia is usually sung by a mezzo-soprano and Drusilla by a lyric soprano, despite the fact that the two roles were written for the same singer. Thus, the modern way of thinking about voice categories has nothing to do with the 17th century.

When reconstructing historical doubling plans, one must ask both practical and analytical questions, such as how costume changes worked on-stage or whether role doubling can serve as a dramaturgical key to this specific play. My intention with this research project is to adopt a broader perspective and examine several pieces to arrive at a comprehensive understanding of how this practice worked in the 17th century. I also want to develop a theory about the connection between role doubling and allegorical dramaturgy.

Most of my colleagues within opera research have a background in musicology. As someone coming from theatre studies, I have more knowledge of historical stage practices. In previous studies of historical singers, they have either been examined from a perspective of vocal technique or biographically. I am more interested in how singing has been connected with acting historically and want to show that these art forms cannot be separated within opera. What kind of actors did the composers have in mind when they wrote their pieces? 

The same applies to Shakespeare studies. There is research on Shakespeare's use of role doubling, but very little on how it was used as a dramaturgical tool in his plays. This same phenomenon can be found in early opera from around 1600. In general, it is striking that playwrights of that time wrote operas or plays with many characters despite having relatively small ensembles. One of Shakespeare's plays has over sixty characters, even though his ensemble is estimated to have had at most sixteen actors. This indicates that Shakespeare was considering which actors would play which characters.

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Why did you choose to join the Academy of Music and Drama?

I previously worked at Stockholm University, conducting two research projects in theatre studies. However, I found that the department had a very culture-theoretical and academically focused perspective. I missed the practical elements. In Denmark, for example, dramaturgs are trained and educated at universities. The connection between historical knowledge and dramaturgical analysis is particularly interesting to me — especially in combination with how singers use their voices and bodies in practice. What excites me about the Academy of Music and Drama is that there are programmes in both opera and acting, and these programmes are formally linked. Additionally, I have several contacts and research colleagues at the department whom I have worked with before.

What are the most challenging aspects of your research area?

Many researchers have argued that role doubling was primarily used for economic reasons, which I am critical of. I want to demonstrate that there is an aesthetic and dramaturgical meaning behind it. The challenge is that we can never know for certain; we can only attempt to reconstruct the doubling plans. The research is hypothetical and can be supported, but not proven, which means one may encounter resistance. Other researchers might view it as a bit too dreamy or imaginative, but I embrace that because I find it enjoyable. For me, interpretations of performing arts are not an exact science, even though I certainly use historical theories and sources. It is also challenging to apply the research in practice when working alongside artists, singers, or actors. How can the method be linked to modern singing techniques and the expectations that exist for a modern operatic voice? At the same time, these challenges are what make it exciting.

What significance could your research findings have in the field, and how might they be meaningful for contemporary performing arts?

Using role doubling as a tool would make it possible for smaller ensembles to stage character-heavy, larger operas or plays. I argue that, for example, Monteverdi's opera Orfeo could be performed with an ensemble of just ten opera singers. There is, of course, an economic aspect to this, but that is – to me – perhaps the least interesting part. I am more interested in the artistic aspect. A production that applies role doubling must genuinely want to play with the art form. Singers may need to use different vocal colours for different characters. This is a way to challenge our perceptions of the operatic voice.

To me, the most important part is the dramaturgical significance. Role doubling could help directors and dramaturgs understand the dramatic potential of the pieces. Some operas and plays truly transform when interpreted through the lens of role doubling, especially when it is the main characters that are doubled. This can alter the structure of the piece and can serve as a dramaturgical key that affects how we understand it.

When you discover that the roles of Music, Silvia, and Proserpina in Monteverdi's Orfeo are written for the same singer and can be connected, a female lead role emerges that is just as significant as the male lead, Orpheus. This means that there are two main characters, but the difference is that one transforms into different personas. Thus, the entire opera changes; tensions are heightened, and we are forced to question what the opera is truly about. It becomes clear that it addresses the confrontation between two types of music, baroque and Renaissance music, represented – respectively – by the female and the male lead. But this only happens if the three female characters are doubled.

Article written by Vendela Holmberg.