Thou Shalt Not Steal

This article is about the 1896 Australian play. For other uses, see Thou Shalt Not Steal (disambiguation).

Thou Shalt Not Steal
Written by	Alfred Dampier
Date premiered	31 October 1896 [1]
Place premiered	Alexandra Theatre, Melbourne
Original language	English
Genre	Melodrama

Thou Shalt Not Steal is a 1896 Australian stage play by Alfred Dampier. It enabled Lily Dampier to play a dual role. ^[2]

The play was a melodrama. ^{[3] [4]}

The Mercury called it "a melodrama full of picturesqueness, incident, and humour." ^[5]

The Sportsman said it was "well written and consistently worked ont, is fell of variety, humor and of tbe life and bustle so much to the taste of the modern playgoers." ^[6]

Dampier tried to sell the play in England. There was another play called Thou Shalt Not Steal so he retitled it A Cruel Test. ^[7]

Premise

• PROLOGUE. Richmond, near London — Weak Woman "Thou Shall Not Steal."
• ACT I Scene 1 — Garden of "The Golden Fleece," Highbury. Scene 2 — Outside tho Horse Guards. Scene 3 — Interior of Rose Villa, Kensington -THE KISS of JUDAS - TEMPTATION.
• ACT II.— Rose Villa, Kensington - THE POWER of GOLD — "OPPORTUNITY MAKES THE THIEF."
• ACT III. Scene 1 - EPPING FOREST. Scene 2 — Near Trafalgar Square. Scene 3 — The Caravan — Man or Devil?— Under the Shadow of Night.
• ACT IV Scene 1 — A FARM YARD. Scene 2 — Thames Embankment. Scene 3 — The Death Trap — CRIME and PUNISHMENT! ^[8]

References

1. "Advertising". The Herald . No. 5085. Victoria, Australia. 30 October 1896. p. 4. Retrieved 8 May 2024– via National Library of Australia.
2. "ALEXANDRA THEATRE". The Argus (Melbourne) . No. 15, 707. Victoria, Australia. 2 November 1896. p. 6. Retrieved 7 May 2024– via National Library of Australia.
3. "THE DAMPIER VISIT". The Kyneton Observer . No. 2593. Victoria, Australia. 24 November 1896. p. 2. Retrieved 7 May 2024– via National Library of Australia.
4. "PLAYS AND PLAYGOERS". The Daily Telegraph . No. 5968. New South Wales, Australia. 30 July 1898. p. 6. Retrieved 7 May 2024– via National Library of Australia.
5. "THEATRE ROYAL". The Mercury . Vol. LXIX, no. 8383. Tasmania, Australia. 11 January 1897. p. 3. Retrieved 7 May 2024– via National Library of Australia.
6. "At the Alexandra". Sportsman. No. 820. Victoria, Australia. 2 November 1896. p. 2. Retrieved 8 May 2024– via National Library of Australia.
7. "PLAYS AND PLAYGOERS". The Daily Telegraph. No. 5968. New South Wales, Australia. 30 July 1898. p. 6. Retrieved 8 May 2024– via National Library of Australia.
8. "Advertising". The Age . No. 13, 002. Victoria, Australia. 31 October 1896. p. 12. Retrieved 8 May 2024– via National Library of Australia.