The Crucible

The Crucible is a play written and published by Arthur Miller in 1953. It describes the witch trials of Salem, Massachusetts in 1692, an event that Miller used as a metaphor for the McCarthyism in the USA of the 1950s. Miller was himself questioned by the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1956.

The play was first performed on January 22, 1953 on Broadway, New York. The reviews of the first production were hostile, but a year later a new production succeeded and the play became a classic.

References Arthur Miller, Why I Wrote 'The Crucible': An artist's answer to politics, published in October 21 & 28th issue of The New Yorker, pages 158-164.

---

The Crucible is a horror film made in 1957 and remade in 1996.

---

The Crucible is a theatre in Sheffield, England; see Crucible Theatre[?].