To put on a successful performance, patronage was a necessity: maybe the lavish support of a monarch, munificent noble patronage, or the (sometimes modest) patronage of a civil society, academies or the Jesuit order. Private court theatres, which were fashionable with the nobility of the era, saw stages dominated by famous actors – the celebrities of the time. Celebrated composers were responsible for musical life at court, serving the ever-growing demands for ballet and opera (the earliest performed opera was Monteverdi's Orfeo in 1607). Behind the scenes, highly skilful practitioners were at work: set-designers, painters, architects and engineers, sometimes one person undertook all of these tasks. Giacomo Torelli impressed viewers with his innovative stage machinery. The Bibiena family's virtuoso set- and stage designs and mastery of perspective fascinated audiences and influenced stage- and set-designs throughout Europe. Marionette plays were also very popular, as were scenic effects animated with water or the movements of automatons, which required special engineering skills.