9 November 2011 Last updated at 10:26

In pictures: Sheffield Crucible celebrates 40 years

Sheffield's Crucible Theatre celebrates its 40th anniversary on 9 November.

Crucible Theatre on the opening night in February 2010

The Star newspaper ran a competition in 1970 for people to nominate a name for the theatre. The 'Adelphi' was the winning name, however it was named the Crucible after Hilary Young, a member of the newly-founded Sheffield Theatre Trust, suggested it and it was thought the name was more suitable, linking it to the city's steel heritage.

Opening night at the Crucible Theatre in 1971

Architects Tenton Howard and Wood Associates designed the building with Sheffield firm Gleeson building the theatre on the former site of the Adelphi pub. This picture shows the first ever performance 'Fanfare' in the main house.

Colin George was the first Artistic Director at the Crucible. The first part of the debut performance of Fanfare was a company of actors who worked with young people across the city to create a series of plays.

A crew setting up for the Snooker World Championships in 2001

The first ever World Snooker Championship took place in 1977 and has been held at the venue ever since, even during a refurbishment in 2007.

The Crucible theatre underwent a makeover in 2008

The Grade II listed building underwent a £15m refurbishment programme in 2007, closing for almost three years. The theatre was stripped back to a shell, with a new stage, roof, entrance and seating being installed.

Laughter, a poem written by Harold Pinter, on a wall within the Crucible Theatre

Nobel Laureate Harold Pinter wrote a poem for the Crucible when he visited in the city in 2006, titled Laughter which is on a wall within the entrance hall.

The Crucible theatre being constructed in 1970

A photograph of the Crucible under construction, looking across Norfolk Street in 1970. The Crucible was built as a replacement for the Playhouse Theatre which once stood on Townhead Street in the city. Photograph courtesy of Picture Sheffield

Dennis Taylor in World Snooker Championships in 1985

In the 1985 World Championship Snooker Final, Dennis Taylor beat Steve Davis 18-17 in a dramatic encounter that was watched by a TV audience of 18.5m. In 2010 the two players marked the 25th anniversary of their epic championship with a one-frame contest at the Crucible.

When the theatre first opened it received mixed reviews because of its open stage and unusual octagonal shape. The Crucible's carpet is seen by the theatre as an iconic piece of the building.

Sheffield Crucible Theatre after the refurbishment

The main house within the Crucible can seat up to 980 people. The seat furthest from the centre of the stage is only 17metres (59ft) away. The studio theatre which is used for experimental and smaller productions can seat up to 400.

Dominic West and Clarke Peters in Othello, 2011

Many famous faces have appeared on the stage including Sir Antony Sher, Kenneth Branagh, Joseph Fiennes, Julie Walters, Sheffield's Marti Caine and more recently Clarke Peters and Dominic West in Othello.

The Crucible is celebrating its 40th birthday by hosting various events throughout November and December. Sheffield People's Theatre which launched in the summer will perform its debut performance Lives in Art on the anniversary, followed by a Q&A with previous and current artistic directors at the Crucible, hosted by BBC presenter Mark Lawson. Thank you to Sheffield Theatres for the use of archive photographs.

Sheffield & South Yorkshire

In pictures: Sheffield Crucible celebrates 40 years

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