The Crucible at the Olivier Theatre
Behind the Water Curtain
An interactive article by Ryan Kawahara
An interactive article by Ryan Kawahara
The National Theatre's production of The Crucible was directed by Lyndsey Turner and ran from September to November 2022.
Arthur Miller's The Crucible tells the story of the people of Salem, Massachusetts during the 1693 Witch Trials.
Miller's play premiered in New York in 1953 and in London in 1956.
Nearly 60 years later, the play's story of mass hysteria and deception remains relevant.
The production was held in the National Theatre's largest auditorium, the Olivier Theatre.
The theatre is named after the National Theatre's first Artistic Director, Laurence Olivier. Its seats are laid out like the Ancient Theatre at the Asclepieion of Epidaurus and can hold up to 1,100 people.
One of the stage's defining features is its revolve, which was built over with a rectangular stage for The Crucible.
The stage was designed by 3x Olivier-winning stage designer Es Devlin. In an interview for the National Theatre, she says, "When the audience arrive in the theatre, there is already an event happening. There's already a sensation in the room, that the air feels different, because there's rain there."
Its design expands on a collaboration between Devlin and Turner back in 2016, when the two created a similar water curtain for Faith Healer at the Donmar Warehouse.
The system uses 240 litres a minute.
The 4,500 litres of water used for the stage runs in a continuous loop.
The curtains of water are illuminated by strip lights along the nozzles.
The ceiling piece which houses the "rain bars" also has a large light that can change colors and provide ambient lighting.
Devlin's design was lauded by critics across the board.
Arifa Akbar for The Guardian called it "beautifully staged" and Dominic Cavendish called it "The National at its best." for the Telegraph.
Other critics, however, thought the elaborate staging outshone the production as a whole.