THE Royal Shakespeare Company celebrates the life and work of Arthur Miller with one of his greatest plays, The Crucible.

Miller, who died on February 10, 2005, wrote The Crucible in 1953 during the McCarthy period. He set the play against the backdrop of the Salem witch hunts of the late 17th century.

Director Dominic Cooke said: "Arthur Miller's compassion, vision and insight are unique in 20th century American theatre. He wrote The Crucible at a time of fear and paranoia in the US. In the early 50s, the American government was propagating the myth of a deadly unseen enemy threatening the safety of every American citizen.

"It used this to justify its flagrant breaches of justice and civil liberties and increasing authoritarianism.

"The Royal Shakespeare Theatre is an ideal space for such a public and epic play, a play very much in the Shakespearean tradition."

Iain Glen takes the lead role of John Proctor. Iain last performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company in the 1994-5 season, when he played the title role in Henry V and Orgilus in Michael Boyd's production of The Broken Heart.

Elaine Cassidy plays Abigail. Elaine can currently be seen playing the lead role in Channel 4's gritty new police drama, The Ghost Squad.

After the filming for this eight-part drama, Elaine returned to her native Dublin for the Irish Film and TV Awards where she was nominated as best actress for her role in Fingersmith.

Trevor Peacock, who plays Giles Corey, is probably best known for his role as Jim Trott in the popular BBC sitcom The Vicar of Dibley with Dawn French.

The Crucible runs from Thursday, February 16 to Saturday, March 18. For tickets call the RSC box office on 0870 609 1110 or visit www.rsc.org.uk.