''The Secret Mine: An Equestrian Melo-Drama, in Two Acts'' is an 1812 equestrian play by

Thomas John Dibdin Thomas John Dibdin (21 March 1771 – 16 September 1841) was an English dramatist and songwriter. Life Dibdin was the son of Charles Dibdin, a songwriter and theatre manager, and of "Mrs Davenet", an actress whose real name was Harriett Pitt ...

and John Fawcett. It debuted at

Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist si ...

on April 24, 1812.Theatrical Journal (review)
''The London Review and Literary Journal'', June 1812, p. 473-74 It was a popular production, with additional productions in 1814, 1816, and 1819 at

Astley's Amphitheatre Astley's Amphitheatre was a performance venue in London opened by Philip Astley in 1773, considered the first modern circus ring. It was burned and rebuilt several times, and went through many owners and managers. Despite no trace of the theatr ...

, and was produced in the United States as early as 1817.Poppiti, Kimberly
A History of Equestrian Drama in the United States: Hippodrama’s Pure Air
pp. 116-20 (2018) Reviews credited the horses for acting "their parts well, independently of the prompter, and though one of them made a false step, none of them were guilty of a false pronunciation." Just as with the prior year's ''

Timour the Tartar ''Timour the Tartar'' is an 1811 hippodrama play by English dramatist Matthew Lewis. The equestrian drama was a popular success.Gamer, MichaelA Matter of Turf: Romanticism, Hippodrama, and Satire in ''Nineteenth-Century Contexts'', Vol. 28, No ...

'' at Covent Garden, critics continued to lament the intrusion of equestrian drama into legitimate venues.Review
'' The Universal Magazine'', April 1812, p. 322 Dibdin wrote in his memoirs that he wrote all the songs and half of the piece, but preferred to remain anonymous as an author. Despite its success, neither Fawcett nor the theatre shared any proceeds, leading Didbin to comment "I am the only one concerned who shared not of the riches of a mine, productive at two theatres, but of which the treasures have remained to me a secret till this day."The Reminiscences of Thomas Dibdin, Vol I
p. 202 (1828) ''The Old Miner Ousted'', which debuted at Caernarvon in 1841, has been said to probably be a rewritten version of the play.A Biographical Dictionary of Actors, Actresses, Musicians, Dancers, Managers, etc., Vol. 5
p. 201 (1978)

Original London cast

Likely was as follows: *Brunton as Araxa *Liston as Dimdim *Barrymore as Ismael *Chapman as Assad *Mrs. H. Johnston as Zaphyra *Miss Feron as Zobeide *Mrs. Parker as CamillaSome Account of the English Stage, vol. 8
p. 294-95 (1832)Theatrical Review
''The Scourge'', May 1812, pp. 423-30

References

External links

1823 New York edition of play
credited to John Savill Faucit {{DEFAULTSORT:Secret Mine, The 1812 plays