Crucible Theatre in Sheffield has staged world championships since 1977
New images of a £45m makeover planned for the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield have been unveiled by architect Allies and Morrison.
The venue, built in 1971, is best known for hosting the World Snooker Championship every year with the event being staged there since 1977.
The Crucible has been in need of an upgrade in recent years and there were worries the snooker could move away from its spiritual home to a new venue overseas.
But earlier this year governing body World Snooker agreed a deal with the city council to keep the event at the Crucible until 2045 – although the championship will be staged elsewhere in 2029 because of the planned work.
Allies and Morrison’s plan will see the theatre’s capacity increased from 964 seats to a 1,500-seat theatre in the round, as well as wider improvements to modernise both the visitor experience and the behind-the-scenes facilities.
Allies and Morrison director Oliver Heyood said: “Our work focuses on three areas: introducing the ability to temporarily expand the capacity of the auditorium for snooker and in-the-round theatre productions, the expansion of the public and support areas to accommodate the increased occupancy, and improvements to the exterior of the building to better engage with and enliven the adjacent public realm.”
Other firms working on the scheme include engineer Arup and theatre company Charcoal Blue, which specialises in acoustics.
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