Tags: Genre, Music Genre, Topical Concept.
Hippodrama or horse drama is a genre of theatrical show blending circus horsemanship display with popular melodrama theatre. Evolving from earlier equestrian circus pioneered by Philip Astley in the 1760s it relied on drama plays written specifically for the genre; trained horses were considered actors along with humans and were even awarded leading roles. Anthony Hippisley-Coxe described hippodrama as a bastard entertainment born of a misalliance between the circus and the theatre …
