Places features

April/May 2008:

In April 2008, Sheffield Theatres announced that the bright and striking Crucible foyer carpet would be going on sale! You can buy a piece of Crucible history in 18"x18" or 27"x36" segments priced at £50 and £75 - and the funds go to the theatre's refurbishment.

The Crucible carpet

May 2008 saw the return of the 31st World Snooker Championships to the theatre and in the same month, 'The Next Stage' (the name given to the refurbishment project) started offering people the chance to sponsor a seat or adopt a light. For more info on The Next Stage, visit Sheffield Theatres website on the right of the page.

It was after the World Snooker Championships that work on the refurbishment really began. Temporary walls, scaffolding and builders can now be seen all over the theatre.

December 2007: Main auditorium closes

The cast of Amadeus, Sheffield Theatres’ final production on the famous Crucible thrust stage, took the final curtain call before it closed for refurbishment on 10th December 2007.

Work has now begun to remove the old thrust stage, which will be replaced with a new one of the same shape, but which is lighter and more manoeuvrable. This will make it easier to lower during the Snooker World Championships so that everyone can see the top of the snooker tables.

Curtain call for Amadeus at the Crucible

The original thrust stage (which dates back to 1971) was designed to create a sense of intimacy between the audience and performers; at the Crucible, no audience member is more than 22 metres away from the stage.

The main auditorium will open for the Snooker World Championships in April 2008, and the Studio will stay open until then.

Nov 2007: Grade II listed

In November 2007, the Crucible was Grade II listed as a building of architectural and historic importance by English Heritage. It joins a varied group of listed public buildings in Sheffield now -  including the Lyceum.

The Crucible: artist's impression

The Crucible's history

The ambitious design of The Crucible was planned as part of the civic redevelopment of Sheffield city centre - the first open-stage theatre for a resident company. The theatre was opened in 1971 and was heavily influenced by the celebrated theatre designer, Sir Tyrone Guthrie (1900-1971) who promoted the then-radical theory of a thrust stage.  His associate, Tanya Moseiwitsch, designed the renowned Crucible auditorium.

Work began in 1969 on a new producing theatre for Sheffield and the region. It opened to the public in 1971 with a 980 seat auditorium, and a capacity of 400 in The Studio.

Now, work has begun to thoroughly refurbish the theatre. Improvements planned for the theatre will not be affected by its new Grade II status. The Crucible has secured £14.2 million in funding from Sheffield City Council, Arts Council England and the European Regional Development Fund.

Starting with a new copper roof the facelift is forecast to be finished in March 2010; however the theatre hopes to be open for business until late 2009.

The Crucible is not only famous for its theatrical performances; since 1977 the Crucible has been home of The World Snooker Championships too.

Artist's impression of the Crucible

October 2007: new copper roof

The Crucible's new copper roof has been completed. When built in 1971 it was always intended that the Crucible's roof would be metal, but for one reason or another, timber was used instead.

David Hobson is in charge of the refurbishment: "The Crucible over the past thirty years has had the maintenance problem of decorating ply panels each year. They were starting to deteriorate. Now, albeit 35 years later, we're very proud to be able to put the metal cladding on as it was originally designed."

One passer by said, "It looks a bit like a mosque or a palace - not what I expect of a theatre." The roof itself will darken and weather with time, turning from gold to more of a brown colour over the next six months.

Next year a new stage is being fitted and then after the famous World Snooker Championships which take place in April 2008, the building is completely closing for a facelift.

David Hobson on the Crucible's roof

Angela Galvin, the theatre's Chief Executive, says that the completion of the roof "indicates to everybody that it's happening - the Crucible is now undergoing its transformation."

The main entrance of the theatre is to get a grand new look with a glass front and other works include both front and back of house, including...

• New box office
• Auditorium refurbishment
• New bar area
• New washroom facilities
• New and refurbished changing and dressing rooms
• Creative Development space
• Modernisation of props and scenic workshops
• Lifts and disabled access throughout public realm

In order for the building work to take place, it will be necessary to close The Crucible from May 2008 to autumn 2009, although work will halt each year to enable the World Snooker Championships to continue unaffected.

So by March 2010, Sheffield's new-look Crucible should be completed.

:: Sheffield Theatres' box office is now in The Lyceum across from the Crucible. Visit the Sheffield Theatres website on the right of the page for a full list of forthcoming productions and performances.