Surveying the full range of evidence associated with the early history of Dido in the repertory of the Children of the Chapel Royal, this chapter argues that the play may have been more popular and successful than theatre historians have assumed. The chapter reconsiders standard claims about the Children of the Chapel Royal, who are usually thought of as a coterie court troupe who fell badly out of favour midway through the 1580s. Arguing instead for their commercial viability, the chapter proposes that Dido formed an important part of their repertory in the second half of the decade by placing the play in its wider theatrical landscape. Situating the play in relation to children’s drama of the previous decade, as well as directly contemporaneous plays from both boy and adult company repertories, the chapter argues that Dido was influential, as well as imitative, and may have helped shape the direction of tragedy in the early 1590s.