Choregos

In the theatre of ancient Greece, the chorêgos (pl. "chorêgoi"; , Greek etymology: χορός "chorus" + ἡγεῖσθαι "to lead") was a wealthy Athenian citizen who assumed the public duty, or "choregiai", of financing the preparation for the chorus and other aspects of dramatic production that were not paid for by the government of the "polis" or city-state. Modern Anglicized forms of the word include choragus and choregus, with the accepted plurals being the Latin forms "choregi" and "choragi". In modern Greek the word "χορηγός" is synonymous with the word "grantor".
"Choregoi" were appointed by the archon and the tribes of Athenian citizens from among the Athenian citizens of great wealth. Service as a "choregos", though an honor, was a duty for wealthy citizens and was part of the liturgical system designed to improve the city-state's economic stability through the use of private wealth to fund public good. Choregoi paid for costumes, rehearsals, expenses of the chorus (including training, salaries, board and lodging), scenery, props (including elaborate masks), special effects and most of the musicians. The "choregos" also hosted a feast if his chorus proved victorious in competition. The prizes for drama at the Athenian festival competitions were awarded jointly to the playwright and the "choregos". Such victories carried prestige for the "choregos". Several notable political figures served as "choregoi", including Themistocles, Pericles and Plato, among others. Monuments were built in honor of victorious "choregoi".
At the turn of the 17th century AD, in an attempt to recreate the ancient Greek dramatic tradition, the position was revived briefly in Italian opera, and combined the roles of impresario and director.
Nomination and appointment.
Under the Athenian constitution, "choregoi" were appointed by the archon and the tribes of Athenian citizens. The archon appointed "choregoi" for the tragedies, while the tribes supplied five "choregoi" for the comedies as well as "choregoi" for the Dionysia and Thargelia (the major festival competitions). The archon, who began this process months in advance of a festival, were able easily to identify potential dramatic "choregoi" because their mutual wealth allowed them to move in the same social circles as the most qualified candidates. In order to be considered for the role of "choregos", an individual had to be an Athenian citizen and possess great wealth. "Choregoi" for choruses of boys were required by Athenian law to be over forty years old to protect the young participants. Volunteers from this selected group of qualified individuals may have been the source of most appointments. The figure of the "choregos" can be traced back as early as the 7th century B.C. References to the title are found in recovered portions of the earliest choral lyric poetry, including the "Parthenia" (or "Maiden-songs") of Alkman, a poet of archaic Sparta.
Service as a "choregos", though an honor, was a duty rather than a choice for wealthy citizens. This duty was one among many built into the state liturgical system of ancient Athens, which was designed to improve the city-state's economic stability through the use of private wealth to fund public good. Once nominated, however, a potential "choregos" had three choices. He could accept the nomination and the duty. Through a process called "skepsis", he could claim one of several specifically defined exemptions and be excused from service. Finally, he could identify another Athenian who was more qualified to perform the role of "choregos" and use the procedure of "skepsis" to resolve the matter.
Duties of the "choregoi".
Choregoi were responsible for supporting many aspects of theatre production in ancient Athens: paying for costumes, rehearsals, the chorus, scenery or scene painting (including such items as "mechane" and "ekkyklema"), props (including elaborate masks), special effects, such as sound, and musicians, except that the state provided the flute player and paid the actors not in the chorus. At the City Dionysia in Athens, for example, the "choregos" was expected to finance all aspects relating to the chorus, which could include training, the hiring of an expert to execute such training, salaries, and board and lodging during a lengthy rehearsal period.
The "choregos" did not act as the director for the production; this role was fulfilled by the playwright. The "choregos" would appoint a "chorodidaskalos" (Χοροδιδάσκαλος, often shortened to διδάσκαλος), often the playwright, to train the chorus. The "choregos" was often expected to host a feast, analogous to a modern cast party, should his chorus prove victorious in competition. According to the "Oxford Dictionary of the Classical World": "The sums spent on choregiai show that the duty could elicit vast expenditure. One extremely enthusiastic choregos catalogues a list which represents an outlay of nearly two and a half talents. This includes a dithyrambic choregia at the Little Panathenaea for 300 drachmae, and a tragic choregia for 3,000 dr. The latter figure is roughly ten times what a skilled worker might have earned annually." The reorganization of the "choregia" in 406 BC spread the cost among the wider community – the synchoregia – with the "choregos" paying only part of the expense.
Prizes and recognition.
The prizes for drama at the Dionysia were awarded jointly to the playwright and the "choregos". Originally the "choregos" acted on behalf of his tribe, which collectively won the kudos for a successful performance. Gradually the sponsoring "choregoi" asserted more personal responsibility, and by the fourth century BC the prize for the "choregos" was a personal award. The winner was expected to display his trophy in a place of honor. Such victories carried prestige for the "choregos", and these honors could be an important stepping stone to a successful political career for wealthy young Athenians. Conversely, failure to successfully execute one's role as a "choregos" could lead to social humiliation.
Victorious "choregoi" were honored further with the erection of a monument in honor of their accomplishment. These monuments, which have become an important source of scholarly knowledge about the "choregoi", were the final step in the victory celebration, which also involved a parade and a feast. Each monument featured an eloquent inscription that echoed the original victory announcement made at the Dionysia.
Notable "choregoi".
Greek society was a symbiosis of art and politics, and several notable political figures of the time served as "choregoi". Themistocles was "choregos" for Phrynichus' "Phoenissae" (named for the Phoenician women who formed the chorus), and Pericles acted as "choregos" for "The Persians" by Aeschylus. In 365 BC, Plato, a rare exception to the qualification of wealth, served as "choregos" for a boys chorus supported by the patronage of Dionysius II of Syracuse. Choregos Lysicrates is remembered today because of the monument still standing in Athens erected in honor of the festival victory of his production in 335 BC. Ruins of a choragic monument to Nicias from the 5th-century BC were discovered in Athens in 1852.
Philanthropic context.
"Choregoi" were an example of a larger tradition of cosmopolitanism, defined by an interest in benefiting others, that dominated many aspects of urban life for the wealthy in ancient Greece and which has been linked to Western philanthropy. Many of these acts, which also included subsidy of temples, armories, and other essential municipal needs, were driven more by personal vanity, societal pressure, and political influence than the modern philanthropic impulse. Nevertheless, the "choregoi's" contributions to the theatre of ancient Greece were integral to the flourishing of drama in ancient Greece and the structure of the society's cultural landscape. One of the earliest references to the philanthropic impulse can be traced to Aeschylus's "Prometheus Bound" with the use of the word "philanthropia", which is translates to "love of humankind," displaying an early tie between the theatre and the "choregoi", and philanthropy.
17th-century revival.
At the turn of the 17th century AD, when the first operas were being written in an attempt to recreate the old Greek dramatic tradition, the position of "choregos" was revived briefly. It was known in Italian as "corago", and combined the roles of impresario and director.