The play opens with two "actors," played by the same actors as the main characters of the play but considered different in the libretto, discussing which play they should perform. One actor suggests "the one about the man who kills his father and sleeps with his mother", but the other actor is in too good a mood for tragedy and they decide to perform a comedy instead. However, before they can perform, they must make a prayer offering the performance to the gods of the theatre, and instruct the audience in how to behave. Just as it looks like they are about to delay the real play further, the Chorus enters and demands that the actors start.