Crucible Theatre

Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, opened in 1971, replacing the old Sheffield Playhouse, where a repertory company was started in 1923. In 1967 a Trust was formed to organize the building of a new theatre, and the Crucible was financed mainly by the Arts Council, the City Council, and public donations. An important regional theatre, it seats 1,000 in one semicircular tier round three sides of the thrust stage. It stages an enterprising mixture of classics, modern plays (including Botho Strauss's The Park, 1988), and musicals such as Chicago, which later had a long run in London, Lennon, and Carmen Jones. It has also presented local documentaries, among them The Stirrings in Sheffield on Saturday Night. It has a studio theatre seating 250 and an award-winning Theatre in Education company.

The neighbouring Lyceum Theatre, a listed building seating 1,100, is the last extant theatre in the provinces designed by the Victorian architect Sprague. After 20 years of closure it reopened in 1990, newly refurbished as a No. 1 touring house, as part of the Crucible complex sharing the same administration.