Operation Crucible (play)

Operation Crucible is a play by Kieran Knowles about the Sheffield Blitz, the German Luftwaffe bombing of Sheffield, England, during the Second World War. The drama focuses on a group of four (fictional) steelworkers trapped inside the cellar of the Marples Hotel, in the city's Fitzalan Square, which was destroyed during bombing on 12 December 1940.[1][2]

History

The first play by actor Kieran Knowles.[3][4] Operation Crucible, directed by Bryony Shanahan, opened for a run of nine performances at the small Finborough Theatre in Chelsea, London in December 2013. It had a second run at the venue in July 2015 as the theatre's main production,[1][5][6] It transferred to the Crucible Theatre studio, Sheffield, again directed by Shanahan, where it opened in October 2016 for a seventeen-day run. John Murphy in The Stage, reviewing the play at the Sheffield theatre, commented on the "gorgeously poetic quality to Knowles’ dialogue, especially in the cast's rapid-fire, rhythmic delivery".[7]

Operation Crucible transferred to 59E59 theaters in New York City in May 2018 as part of the theatre's Brits Off Broadway Festival and was Ben Brantley's New York Times Critics Pick[4] It was adapted for BBC Radio Four and aired in July 2018 directed by Toby Swift.

Operation Crucible started an Off-Broadway run at the Davenport Theatre in October 2018.[8] Salvatore D’Aquila, Christopher McCurry, James Wallwork, and playwright Kieran Knowles play the four men trapped by the bombing.[4][9]

References
  1. Billington, Michael (3 August 2015). "Operation Crucible review – war history evoked with horror and humanity". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
  2. "Operation Crucible Makes US Premiere at Brits Off Broadway". Broadway World. 10 April 2018. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  3. Hickling, Alfred (10 September 2016). "Operation Crucible review – Sheffield steals the show in lively wartime tale". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
  4. "Review: In 'Operation Crucible', Terror and Reassurance". The New York Times. 2 June 2018. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  5. Brantley, Ben (19 August 2015). "London Theater Journal: Maximally Minimal". ArtsBeat. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
  6. Maltby, Kate (5 August 2015). "Operation Crucible at Finborough Theatre, SW10". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
  7. Murphy, John (9 September 2016). "Operation Crucible review at Crucible Studio, Sheffield – 'poetic and powerful". The Stage. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  8. Lefkowitz, Andy (19 October 2018). "Acclaimed Drama Operation Crucible to Play Off-Broadway's Davenport Theatre". Broadway.com. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  9. Gans, Andrew (26 September 2018). "Cast Set for Off-Broadway Run of Kieran Knowles' Operation Crucible". Playbill. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
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