didascalia

didascalia, at Athens, the ‘teaching’ of a dithyramb, comedy, or tragedy to the chorus and actors who were to perform it, by the dramatist (or his representative). The word came to be used to describe the official record of a dramatic performance, giving the name of the festival at which the work was produced and that of the eponymous archon; in the case of drama, the names of the dramatists in order of success (Greek drama was always a matter for competition; see TRAGEDY 2), and of the plays which each dramatist entered; the names of the protagonists, the best actor, and the choregos of the winning play; in the case of the dithyrambic competitions, the name of the victorious tribe (each of the ten tribes provided a chorus) and the best flute-player. This information has in some cases survived on inscriptions. Aristotle in the fourth century BC compiled a book of didascaliae which has not survived but which was used by Hellenistic scholars, some of whose records found their way into the manuscripts of extant plays, providing valuable information concerning dates and names.