Short answers, pulled from the story.
Der Schauspieldirektor, K. 486, is a comic singspiel by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart with a German libretto by Gottlieb Stephanie. It was written as a competition entry performed before Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II on the 7th of February 1786 at the Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna. The work is described as a parody on the vanity of singers.
Mozart wrote Der Schauspieldirektor in response to an imperial command from Joseph II, who organized a private musical competition for eighty guests at the Schönbrunn Palace. The piece was pitted against Antonio Salieri's opera buffa Prima la musica e poi le parole, with each work performed at opposite ends of the same room.
The premiere took place on the 7th of February 1786 at the Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna. The first public performance followed on the 11th of February at the Kärntnertor Theater in Vienna, with two further public performances after that.
An impresario named Frank auditions and hires two sopranos, who then argue over who will receive the leading role and the higher salary. Each sings a showpiece aria to prove her superiority, and the dispute is resolved by the tenor Vogelsang in a comic trio, with both singers ultimately receiving large salaries and star billing.
The autograph manuscript of Der Schauspieldirektor is preserved in the Morgan Library and Museum.
The 1966 recording by the English Chamber Orchestra under Andre Previn used an English libretto written by Dory Previn. A 1968 Berlin Classics recording conducted by Helmut Koch is notable for including all ten scenes with spoken dialogue. Later recordings feature casts including Edita Gruberova and Kiri Te Kanawa with the Vienna Philharmonic under John Pritchard.