The front of the famous old theatre earlier this evening
As you may have noticed I was a bit quiet on the blog front yesterday, mainly because I spent the day in Sheffield and was away from my PC. While I was there though, I couldn’t resist popping along to see how the work at the Crucible was going along and I was taken aback by what I saw…
The Crucible as snooker fans will know and love it from April 2008
Having been the home of the World Championship since 1977, the Crucible Theatre has been largely unchanged since then, but from 2009 regular snooker-goers might be surprised by what they see when they get there!
No more queuing for returned tickets here at the old box office!
With work having started back in 2007 with the bronze plating applied to the roof and the installation of a brand new thrust stage, some of the improvements were evident when attending the World Championships this year, but in reality they had only touched the surface.
Just two months on and the work was well underway
Visiting the city in June, I was surprised to see that already the front of the building had been completely ripped out, the famous old Crucible sign nowhere to be seen. I have only attended the event for the last four years, but even for me it was a strange sight, almost like seeing a second home being gutted in front of my eyes!
If that was strange though, tonight was something else as I saw that the front of the building had been transformed, an entirely new reception and box office having been constructed. For some of the veterans who have been attending for over thirty years, it is going to be a huge shock when they see how it looks next April!
For those interested, the November update on the Sheffield Theatres website says:
“November 2008
next stage update 6/11/08
the next stage transformation of the Crucible has made spectacular progress over the past months with the new glass fronted main entrance taking shape for all to see.
Behind the façade is the new box office, information centre and bars which are near completion! Most importantly by Spring 2009 the Crucible auditorium will be fully refurbished with more comfortable seating, newly installed handrails, a low energy twinkle light ceiling and five additional wheelchair spaces. There will also be improved technical facilities and four completely upgraded dressing rooms and a new function room overlooking Tudor Square.
The Crucible will re-open its doors again only briefly to hold the 2009 World snooker championships, but then its back to work at the end of May for the final stages of the development due for completion late 2009. The Sheffield Theatres Crucible Trust has raised over £15m towards its £15.3m target from such organisations as Arts Council England, the European Regional Development Fund, Sheffield City Council and Yorkshire Forward.”
An excellent illustration of just how much of an improvement the new thrust stage is.
And for some better quality photos, click here.