The Theatre of Dreams
“The melting pot of ideas”
Introduction
Nestled in the middle of the bustling city of Sheffield, lies the Crucible Theatre. A building that has become a bastion of Yorkshire culture, the building has inhabited the main square since 1971. Often referred to as “The Crucible “, the building has hosted many plays and musicals and some sports including snooker’s World Championship since Mike Watterson’s wife went to a play at the theatre and told her husband that it would be a great place to hold future tournaments and the rest is history! Situated just off Norfolk Street, the building is instantly recognisable with its rectangular structure, bright facade and bold signage. When you arrive at The Crucible, it makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up and leaves you with a lasting memory.
The Early Years
The Crucible Theatre was built by M J Gleeson, a building company that specialises in urban regeneration. Constructed to replace the Playhouse Repertory Theatre in neighbouring Townhead Street, the theatre was envisaged to bring new life into the community and engage with national and local theatre groups. A rapid building programme in 1969 after an innovative plan was devised by the architects Renton Howard Wood Levin with a “thrust” or platform stage included. Building work finished two years later in 1971 with the opening performance in the November of that year, “Fanfare”, an improvised children’s performance and including Chekhov’s Swan Song with Ian McKellen and Edward Petherbridge with a finale by a Sheffield brass band. This mixture was aimed at showcasing the versatility of the stage and how the seating is arranged on three sides of the stage with seating only twenty meters apart and capacity audience of only 980, giving the theatre an intimate atmosphere.
Snooker at The Crucible
The World Championship ended up at the Crucible Theatre by chance and was one those decisions that fitted like a silk glove. From John Spencer’s first win here in 1977 to Judd Trump’s crowning as champion last year, the Crucible Theatre has become the cornerstone of the sport and its structure has witnessed some of the greatest matches in the history of snooker and several 147 breaks along the way. I have had the pleasure to attend this Yorkshire venue on two occasions for the World Seniors and it was a pleasure to see Joe Johnson and then Jimmy White raise the trophy in front of a capacity crowd.
This venue makes and breaks dreams, manufacturing drama on an epic scale that at one moment fills you with sheer trepidation and at the next moment, utter jubilation. The faces may have changed and the game advanced but essentially the very spirit of snooker remains every year the World Championship is held here. This is the tournament that every player aspires to win and this theatre is where they want to raise the silver trophy aloft. It remains the quality control benchmark for the sport and one that a player wants his name engraved on the trophy that only a handful of snooker players have won.
Crucible Firsts
A Crucible first that sticks out for me, has to be the 1982 World Championship final between Alex Higgins and Ray Reardon. Reardon sought to repeat his 1976 victory over Higgins. However this was a match that memorable for several reasons. The fact that Alex won the match with a 135 break, clinched the title ten years after his first in 1972 that was not at the Crucible. Most memorable was the first that definitely shaped the course of other sporting triumphs. Higgins beckoned his wife and baby into the stage after he had raised the trophy. Now a normality in snooker, this moment was innovative in 1982 and had always be credited with Alex’s astute showmanship.
The other first came in 1983 when Cliff Thorburn achieved a 147 at the Crucible. This was unique as it was the first one televised here, following Steve Davis’s first at the Lada Classic in 1981 against John Spencer. This 147 by Cliff began off a fluky red and before long Thorburn was sinking to his knees in jubilation, embraced by his opponent, Terry Griffiths and his great friend, Bill Werbeniuk from behind the snooker partition. The maximum is also notably remembered for Jack Karnehm’s comment of “ Good luck mate” before Thorburn potted the final black.
The Crucible, Present and Future
Since the refurbishment of the Crucible in 2007, one that lasted until 2009 and cost 15 million pounds to complete, the theatre has attracted a new audience. Thanks to the brighter lighting to the building and the welcoming atmosphere of the square around it, this structure has acted as a guiding beacon for the city of Sheffield. Opened again in February, 2010 by the Earl of Wessex, the stage played host to a production of Henrik Ibsen’s, An Enemy of the People. The venue has also held table tennis, squash and for the first time held the Ladies World Snooker Championship between 1998 and 2003 but was sadly withdrawn due to financial difficulties.
The future for the theatre is bright with its stature widely recognised locally and globally. Whether it be a classic production, a musical, a concert or a classic snooker match, this theatre is able to easily adapt and diversify. Like its name describes this building breathes fire into anything that it hosts and is a force for many generations to come.
Conclusion
The Crucible Theatre has spanned several decades and is unique for its compact structure. Unlike many theatres, The Crucible has a specific seating plan that allows the audience to have a clear view of the stage no matter where you are sitting. I have only ever experienced this in one other venue, when I went to watch the German Masters in Berlin. There, the circular structure, provides a panoramic view of the tables or table in play and holds a larger audience, 3,500 to be precise. However this is the only comparison I can think of, apart from Goffs, which I haven’t been fortunate enough to visit yet. Yorkshire can be very proud of their world famous theatre and the many theatrical productions and sports it plays host to. It may have changed its exterior from red to white over the years but that has never stopped it from having a constant green light for innovative production. Long may this Sheffield bastion reign!
Introduction
Nestled in the middle of the bustling city of Sheffield, lies the Crucible Theatre. A building that has become a bastion of Yorkshire culture, the building has inhabited the main square since 1971. Often referred to as “The Crucible “, the building has hosted many plays and musicals and some sports including snooker’s World Championship since Mike Watterson’s wife went to a play at the theatre and told her husband that it would be a great place to hold future tournaments and the rest is history! Situated just off Norfolk Street, the building is instantly recognisable with its rectangular structure, bright facade and bold signage. When you arrive at The Crucible, it makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up and leaves you with a lasting memory.
The Early Years
The Crucible Theatre was built by M J Gleeson, a building company that specialises in urban regeneration. Constructed to replace the Playhouse Repertory Theatre in neighbouring Townhead Street, the theatre was envisaged to bring new life into the community and engage with national and local theatre groups. A rapid building programme in 1969 after an innovative plan was devised by the architects Renton Howard Wood Levin with a “thrust” or platform stage included. Building work finished two years later in 1971 with the opening performance in the November of that year, “Fanfare”, an improvised children’s performance and including Chekhov’s Swan Song with Ian McKellen and Edward Petherbridge with a finale by a Sheffield brass band. This mixture was aimed at showcasing the versatility of the stage and how the seating is arranged on three sides of the stage with seating only twenty meters apart and capacity audience of only 980, giving the theatre an intimate atmosphere.
Snooker at The Crucible
The World Championship ended up at the Crucible Theatre by chance and was one those decisions that fitted like a silk glove. From John Spencer’s first win here in 1977 to Judd Trump’s crowning as champion last year, the Crucible Theatre has become the cornerstone of the sport and its structure has witnessed some of the greatest matches in the history of snooker and several 147 breaks along the way. I have had the pleasure to attend this Yorkshire venue on two occasions for the World Seniors and it was a pleasure to see Joe Johnson and then Jimmy White raise the trophy in front of a capacity crowd.
This venue makes and breaks dreams, manufacturing drama on an epic scale that at one moment fills you with sheer trepidation and at the next moment, utter jubilation. The faces may have changed and the game advanced but essentially the very spirit of snooker remains every year the World Championship is held here. This is the tournament that every player aspires to win and this theatre is where they want to raise the silver trophy aloft. It remains the quality control benchmark for the sport and one that a player wants his name engraved on the trophy that only a handful of snooker players have won.
Crucible Firsts
A Crucible first that sticks out for me, has to be the 1982 World Championship final between Alex Higgins and Ray Reardon. Reardon sought to repeat his 1976 victory over Higgins. However this was a match that memorable for several reasons. The fact that Alex won the match with a 135 break, clinched the title ten years after his first in 1972 that was not at the Crucible. Most memorable was the first that definitely shaped the course of other sporting triumphs. Higgins beckoned his wife and baby into the stage after he had raised the trophy. Now a normality in snooker, this moment was innovative in 1982 and had always be credited with Alex’s astute showmanship.
The other first came in 1983 when Cliff Thorburn achieved a 147 at the Crucible. This was unique as it was the first one televised here, following Steve Davis’s first at the Lada Classic in 1981 against John Spencer. This 147 by Cliff began off a fluky red and before long Thorburn was sinking to his knees in jubilation, embraced by his opponent, Terry Griffiths and his great friend, Bill Werbeniuk from behind the snooker partition. The maximum is also notably remembered for Jack Karnehm’s comment of “ Good luck mate” before Thorburn potted the final black.
The Crucible, Present and Future
Since the refurbishment of the Crucible in 2007, one that lasted until 2009 and cost 15 million pounds to complete, the theatre has attracted a new audience. Thanks to the brighter lighting to the building and the welcoming atmosphere of the square around it, this structure has acted as a guiding beacon for the city of Sheffield. Opened again in February, 2010 by the Earl of Wessex, the stage played host to a production of Henrik Ibsen’s, An Enemy of the People. The venue has also held table tennis, squash and for the first time held the Ladies World Snooker Championship between 1998 and 2003 but was sadly withdrawn due to financial difficulties.
The future for the theatre is bright with its stature widely recognised locally and globally. Whether it be a classic production, a musical, a concert or a classic snooker match, this theatre is able to easily adapt and diversify. Like its name describes this building breathes fire into anything that it hosts and is a force for many generations to come.
Conclusion
The Crucible Theatre has spanned several decades and is unique for its compact structure. Unlike many theatres, The Crucible has a specific seating plan that allows the audience to have a clear view of the stage no matter where you are sitting. I have only ever experienced this in one other venue, when I went to watch the German Masters in Berlin. There, the circular structure, provides a panoramic view of the tables or table in play and holds a larger audience, 3,500 to be precise. However this is the only comparison I can think of, apart from Goffs, which I haven’t been fortunate enough to visit yet. Yorkshire can be very proud of their world famous theatre and the many theatrical productions and sports it plays host to. It may have changed its exterior from red to white over the years but that has never stopped it from having a constant green light for innovative production. Long may this Sheffield bastion reign!
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