In a staged opera production, what is the role of the person in charge of the RE

Question:

In a staged opera production, what is the role of the person in charge of the REGIA (in Italian)?

I'm looking for the equivalent word/role in English. I have a program where someone is credited under "REGIA", which I always thought was the director, but then there's also a producer and a stage director credited under different names. Set, costumes, lighting are also credited to other people. What does this person do?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: You were correct. "Regia" means control or direction. He is the person responsible for the entire production. In motion pictures he is in English, the director. There are other personnel that have their roles, such as the stage manager or the executive producer; however , the person with ultimate control over the direction of the performance is the person in charge of the direction. Hence,director. It comes from the same root word as to govern, to rule.