Short answers, pulled from the story.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart composed Der Schauspieldirektor in early 1786 as his entry for a musical competition ordered by Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II. The work premiered at Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna on the 7th of February 1786.
Der Schauspieldirektor functions as a comedy with music containing only four vocal numbers surrounded by extensive spoken dialogue. The libretto targets the vanity of singers who argue over status and pay while attempting to defeat each other using higher notes.
Three public performances followed just four days later at the Kärntnertor Theater in Vienna on the 11th of February 1786. This venue hosted the initial run that established the piece as a successful experiment in comic theater with music.
Aloysia Weber performed Madame Herz and Caterina Cavalieri took the part of Mademoiselle Silberklang during the premiere cast. Johann Gottlieb Stephanie Jr played Frank the impresario while Giuseppe Weidmann portrayed Buffa as a bass voice type.
The opera first appeared in the United Kingdom on the 30th of May 1857 at the St James's Theatre in London. Its American debut took place at the Stadt Theatre in New York on the 9th of November 1870.