The souffleur has all but vanished, except in Germany, where they sit in the front row – or even take to the stage. As actors are placed under huge pressure, does this really make drama more exciting?

Nowadays, most theaters have stopped using prompters, but the Maly Theater cherishes this tradition and regards prompters as indispensable. Some people always keep their "finger on the pulse," but ...

To reach the prompter's box at the home of the San Francisco Opera, Matthew Piatt heads under the stage and walks down a long, narrow passageway. Then he shimmies up a metal ladder. "I always have to ...

When a baritone goes "cold" and forgets a line, Jonathan Khuner is there. When a soprano gets lost in her character and sings ahead of the beat, Khuner reins her in. He's the prompter at the San ...