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.
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[?].