Today we're announcing that the venue previously known as the Studio theatre will now be named the Tanya Moiseiwitsch Playhouse in honour of the hugely influential theatre designer that had an essential role in the creation of the Crucible complex.
Since November we've been celebrating 50 years of the Crucible and Studio theatres. What better time to shine the spotlight on this wonderful 400-seat theatre that has created some of the most memorable moments in our history.
This new name honours our past as we look to the next 50 years!
"Tanya Moiseiwitsch was a pioneer. Innovative, imaginative and a ground-breaker in her profession. Tanya created radical theatre shapes now enshrined and cherished in theatre buildings all over the world. Without her vision, neither the Crucible nor the newly named Playhouse would exist in the forms they do. Hers is an incredible legacy."
![Tanya Moiseiwitsch poses for camera](https://sheffield-theatres.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/NEWS/Tanya-Moiseiwitsch-Playhouse/Tanya-Moiseiwitsch-by-Francis-Goodman.-copyright-National-Portrait-Gallery-London-JPG.jpg?w=3&h=3&q=100&auto=format&fit=crop&dm=1660048007&s=e5abc7308c44191bfe4e13fd8772332c)
"This new name also honours the original Sheffield Playhouse, a 540-seat converted Temperance Hall, closed its doors in 1971 when the company moved to Sheffield’s new theatre. The forerunner to the Crucible’s success, it too had a reputation for bold, adventurous, and revolutionary productions, under the leadership of inaugural Crucible artistic director Colin George."
Rob Hastie, Artistic Director
![Tanya Moiseiwitsch and Colin George view the Crucible auditorium as construction nears completion in 1971](https://sheffield-theatres.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/NEWS/Tanya-Moiseiwitsch-Playhouse/Tanya-Moiseiwitsch-and-Colin-George-view-the-Crucible-auditorium-as-construction-nears-completion-1971.-Credit-George-Family-Archive.jpeg?w=3&h=3&q=100&auto=format&fit=crop&dm=1660048016&s=a4b7927ef17bbd3dbfe9f8563b64de25)
Without Tanya's vision, neither the Crucible nor the newly named Playhouse would exist in the forms they do.
This theatre has played a part in the career of so many beloved artists and creatives. Over the 50-year history of the space, audiences have enjoyed performances from hundreds of actors, from professional debuts to famous faces including Victoria Wood, Alan Rickman, Tracey Bennett, Shaun Parkes, Niamh Cusack, Richard Wilson, Stephanie Street, James Norton, Chetna Pandya and Rose Leslie.
![Niamh Cusack stands in a long green dress surroounded by mirror frames](https://sheffield-theatres.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/NEWS/Tanya-Moiseiwitsch-Playhouse/Niamh-Cusack-as-Sonya-in-Afterplay-Mark-Douet_2022-08-08-162224_ljcs.jpg?w=3&h=3&q=100&auto=format&fit=crop&dm=1660047961&s=d2aac1c534b19f8b7cc26e52f735a004)
Niamh Cusack, who appeared in Brian Friel’s Afterplay in 2014 in the former Studio theatre:
“Oh how I loved standing backstage at the Studio, waiting for my cue light in Afterplay. I could hear the audience. And then the intimacy of sharing that magical play, in that space. A shared secret between us. It was a lovely way to meet Sheffield!”
Lucy George, daughter of inaugural Artistic Director Colin George:
“Tanya Moiseiwitsch’s work on the Crucible Theatre was ground-breaking but, for a long time, her impact was behind the scenes. My father, Colin George, talked about Tanya’s genius yet it was only while working on Stirring Up Sheffield with Tedd, did we realise how significant she was to the creation of the Crucible’s design and that of the studio space."
"The shape of the Crucible’s thrust stage was Tanya’s creation, and the studio is a smaller version of that unique performing space. Tanya was a beloved member of the company and an inspiration for so many designers and women in the performing arts. The Sheffield Playhouse, the predecessor of the Crucible, is still remembered fondly by so many of us. The naming of the Tanya Moiseiwitsch Playhouse clarifies the connection between the Playhouse and the Crucible and ties together 100 years of Sheffield theatre history, recognising Tanya’s long-lasting impact on theatre design. Naming a theatre after Tanya would have pleased Dad enormously. Congratulations to Sheffield Theatres and all the supporters of Sheffield’s newly named Tanya Moiseiwitsch Playhouse.”
![Tanya Moseiwitsch sketch of the Crucible Stage](https://sheffield-theatres.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/NEWS/Tanya-Moiseiwitsch-Playhouse/TM-thrust-design-Credit-George-Family-Archive-low-res.jpg?w=3&h=3&q=100&auto=format&fit=crop&dm=1660048092&s=ee2648879eff70e795e9578e46dcb8ba)
![The cast of A Raisin in the Sun](https://sheffield-theatres.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/NEWS/Tanya-Moiseiwitsch-Playhouse/A-Raisin-in-the-Sun.jpg?w=3&h=3&q=100&auto=format&fit=crop&dm=1660048223&s=31a0afa96802f6d9f0ab719c4b68e547)
![A young Alan Rickman in the foreground of an image for 1976 production of Nijinksy](https://sheffield-theatres.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/NEWS/Tanya-Moiseiwitsch-Playhouse/1976-Nijinsky.png?w=3&h=3&q=100&auto=format&fit=crop&dm=1660048242&s=24277c163b12f9ffe76fac6830c55a8a)
![The cast of That Face. A young man is in bed while two women and a man argue in the bedroom](https://sheffield-theatres.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/NEWS/Tanya-Moiseiwitsch-Playhouse/That-Face-2010-Robert-Day.jpg?w=3&h=3&q=100&auto=format&fit=crop&dm=1660048027&s=fcbaed48dd42cce0b739930687d07195)
A platform for new voices and surprising choices
![Hazel Clyne and Victoria Wood in Talent in 1978. Hazel sits doing her makeup with Victoria in the background](https://sheffield-theatres.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/NEWS/Tanya-Moiseiwitsch-Playhouse/Talent-Hazel-Clyne-and-Victoria-Wood-1978-Gerry-Murray.jpg?w=3&h=3&q=100&auto=format&fit=crop&dm=1660047916&s=e367b8147a992ca490dac42d3e338ee3)
![Henry Pettigrew and Philip McGinley in Straght. Two men sit on a bed in a posh hotel room](https://sheffield-theatres.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/NEWS/Tanya-Moiseiwitsch-Playhouse/Henry-Pettigrew-as-Lewis-and-Philip-McGinley-as-Waldorf-in-Straight.-Photo-Robert-Day-lr.jpg?w=3&h=3&q=100&auto=format&fit=crop&dm=1660048082&s=73d38796c129cb19d39c32f163fc2ef0)
A place for shared experiences and changing perspectives
![The cast of Garden of Hope perform. 6 cast members open their arms to the audience](https://sheffield-theatres.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/NEWS/Tanya-Moiseiwitsch-Playhouse/Launchpad-2022-The-Garden-of-Hope-by-Chris-Saunders-lr.jpg?w=3&h=3&q=100&auto=format&fit=crop&dm=1660048053&s=84baa4303161cc0cb999e475fbf2bf68)
![A full audience in the Playhouse with a grand piano in the centry](https://sheffield-theatres.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/NEWS/Tanya-Moiseiwitsch-Playhouse/Crucible-Studio-full-2014-c-Andy-Brown.jpg?w=3&h=3&q=100&auto=format&fit=crop&dm=1660126890&s=e2af24c8eb542c94d313c4a1ba067087)
![The Sheffield People's Theatre Young Company in a group photo](https://sheffield-theatres.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/NEWS/Tanya-Moiseiwitsch-Playhouse/Sheffield-Peoples-Theatre-Yooung-Company-2022.jpg?w=3&h=3&q=100&auto=format&fit=crop&dm=1660048041&s=7737078805aa5efeb33db5c7af0a1056)
A playhouse of limitless possibilities
![The Scissors cast at their workstations](https://sheffield-theatres.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/NEWS/Tanya-Moiseiwitsch-Playhouse/Members-of-the-Company-in-SCISSORS.-Photo-by-Johan-Persson-lr.jpg?w=3&h=3&q=100&auto=format&fit=crop&dm=1660047988&s=27e0e1379c8cc231312b091e86dc120f)
![The cast of Rent Party do the limbo surrounded by balloons](https://sheffield-theatres.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/NEWS/Tanya-Moiseiwitsch-Playhouse/Join-in-the-party-this-Christmas-at-the-Crucible-Studio.-Photography-by-Sam-Taylor.lr.jpg?w=3&h=3&q=100&auto=format&fit=crop&dm=1660048064&s=ca2e33d5fe326545e73e11c58fb59861)
![Nigel Betts and Rebecca Scroggs perform in Steel. Nigel is seated next to a brown stage, which Rebecca is sat on.](https://sheffield-theatres.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/NEWS/Tanya-Moiseiwitsch-Playhouse/Nigel-Betts-and-Rebecca-Scroggs-in-Steel.-Photo-by-Mark-Douet.jpg?w=3&h=3&q=100&auto=format&fit=crop&dm=1660048156&s=4a276bf15ad285f414fca39ff45a73a3)
Home to Sheffield Theatres productions, Music in the Round, learning and participation projects, plus brilliant touring shows and one-off events, the Playhouse is bursting year-round.
![Tracey Bennett in a black and white photo of Bedevilled. She spins and raises her hands to the air](https://sheffield-theatres.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/NEWS/Tanya-Moiseiwitsch-Playhouse/Bedevilled-Studio-Feb-97.jpg?w=3&h=3&q=100&auto=format&fit=crop&dm=1660121282&s=7887194f8a306c6596fa45e421a758d3)
![Sam and Tim West in A Number. Tim stands in the foreground with Sam behind](https://sheffield-theatres.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/NEWS/Tanya-Moiseiwitsch-Playhouse/A-Number-2006-Manuel-Harlan-2.jpg?w=3&h=3&q=100&auto=format&fit=crop&dm=1660121003&s=d8309ccc5d0ec33c7d121525ae37a68a)
![The cast of hang, in a white stark office with a mural of grass on the wall](https://sheffield-theatres.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/NEWS/Tanya-Moiseiwitsch-Playhouse/Diveen-Henry-as-THREE-Sid-Sagar-as-TWO-and-Marianne-Oldham-as-ONE-in-hang.-Photo-by-The-Other-Richard.LR.jpg?w=3&h=3&q=100&auto=format&fit=crop&dm=1660048072&s=fbc3c015395c70293e92ffecd15151e4)