Rhoda Levine, one of the rare female opera directors to work steadily starting in the 1970s, at a time when the field was dominated by men, and who was acclaimed for clear, straightforward interpretations of the classics as well as stirring world premieres, died on Jan. 6 at her home in Manhattan. She was 93.

She brought true theatrical acting into opera, insisting on directing singers as actors, demanding a kind of realism in an often stylized art form. At New York City Opera, Netherlands Opera and other companies, she directed works stretching from Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro” to Alban Berg’s “Lulu,” in addition to contemporary works like Mark Adamo’s “Little Women.”

Her preoccupation was to reach her audience directly, to “provide an audience with a very human experience that really connected with their own lives,” she told the music journalist Bruce Duffle in 1998. “Clarity is all,” she added. “Whether the audience likes it or not, whatever your intention is, you must deliver that intention to them. That’s your job as an actor, an actress or as a musician. You hope you’re clear.”