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Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Times
Beth Steel: I left school at 16. Now my play's heading to the West End
When Beth Steel was growing up in Warsop, a coal mining town in Nottinghamshire, she didn't think her father's job was interesting. 'Everybody's dad worked down the pits,' the playwright says. It was only years later, when she was living in London, that she became curious. 'My dad was in the mine from the age of 17, seven days a week. It was part of his identity. When the pits started to close he considered moving to Australia because it still had pits — he couldn't imagine himself doing anything else.' Conversations with her father informed Steel's play Till the Stars Come Down. It grapples with the struggles of those like her dad and the hundreds of thousands who lost their jobs as the mines closed. After sold-out success at the National Theatre last year, the play is transferring to the West End. The action takes place at a wedding in Mansfield, near Warsop. Local girl Sylvia is marrying Marek, from Poland, whose name her father struggles to remember. Steel says her starting point was the marriage scene in the 1978 film The Deer Hunter — 'all these customs and dances and alcohol and ceremony and joy, and lots of things bubbling'. Through the lens of a family drama, Steel explores what happens when an industry so intertwined with the identity of a place no longer exists. There's a moving scene where Sylvia's uncle lists the closed pits like a chant, making it plain that he can't move on. Meanwhile, Marek is part of a growing eastern European population in the area. Last month the Reform party won Warsop's council election, promising to limit immigration, making the play even more topical. 'A decade ago I wouldn't have thought a story from my town was something a stage would want,' Steel says when we meet at the National. Amid the West End's revivals and star vehicles, it is something of an exception — although there is a sprinkling of celebrity: Julian Kostov, one of the ripped Russians in the latest White Lotus, has joined the cast as Marek. 'Be still my beating heart,' Steel says. An energetic fast-talker dressed all in blue with thigh-high satin ultramarine boots, Steel lives in east London with her partner. She agrees her play is 'a state-of-the-nation drama', but reluctantly, because 'I hate the term — it always feels too grand and definitive about what a nation is. 'But where I'm from represents a flashpoint in British politics. Nobody knows what to do with these towns and it's interesting to dig into those fault lines. I understand fury about Brexit, and fury about Reform, but we have to be able to see how other people think.' It was a West End play that made Steel become a writer. She was in her mid-twenties and a friend suggested they see Blackbird by the Scottish playwright David Harrower. 'It had never occurred to me to be a playwright,' she says. 'I'm not one of those precocious writers who have been scribbling away forever, but within 15 minutes the atoms within me were changed.' She had been working as a waitress ('at the Groucho club: I saw a lot of very drunk people'), having left school at 16, three days after taking her GCSEs. In her teens she moved to Greece with her identical twin sister, now an artist, to live with her aunt. 'You're not allowed to do that now,' she says, laughing. 'I loved school — I'd create my own homework if I didn't get enough. But nobody in my family had been to university so it didn't feel like an expectation — going to Greece was as valuable.' It was her home until she was 21; she modelled fur coats and set up a clothes shop. 'I know,' she says, when I ask why fur coats in sunny Athens? 'It was as bonkers as it sounds.' Does she wish she had stayed at school for her A-levels? 'Quite the opposite. It's easy to say this because I am making a living but you need life experience to write. I'm like a magpie.' Breaking into theatre took guts. 'The first time I went to the Royal Court [in London] I was intimidated,' Steel says. 'I got my ticket, I looked at the people at the bar and it felt frightening. I didn't dare go down there.' What mattered though was that the Royal Court had a programme she could send a script to — which is how she got her first break, joining a writers' group there. Steel still thinks theatre is the most democratic art form to get into. 'If I was an extraordinary painter I couldn't just send my painting to the Tate. But you can submit a play to the National and someone will read it.' She hasn't had a television in 15 years and shows no interest in branching into TV like her fellow Nottinghamshire playwright James Graham. Being in the West End will bring a broader audience, she says. While ticket prices can be astronomically high, the West End is doing better than Broadway, attracting nearly five million more people last year — but it is still stretched and new plays like Steel's are a risk. 'There's a pressure to have star power and that is why 95 per cent of shows secure the casting first,' Steel says. 'This is on through the sheer force of the play, cast and production, which is rare.' While she is proud of where she's from, and amused that Indhu Rubasingham, the new artistic director of the National Theatre, is from Mansfield, she doesn't want her work to be defined by it. 'I don't want to diss 'grim up-north drama' but I want lives and voices that could be in a Tennessee Williams or a Chekhov play,' she says. The day after we meet Steel is off to Japan, where Till the Stars Come Down has also transferred. It has been on in Greece and she was pleasantly taken aback at how universal the story of her town proved. 'It's about family, love, immigration, change, fear of the future — and weddings and drinking,' she says with a smile. She is less sure of how a line about hot tubs being 'cauldrons of sperm' will translate in Japan, she says, hooting. 'They'll wonder, 'What do those English people get up to?''
Extra.ie
24-05-2025
- Extra.ie
Jozef Puska's brother told gardai pain medication to blame for 'memory lapse', court hears
Jozef Puska's brother told gardaí investigating the murder of Ashling Murphy that he wanted to tell them more but couldn't due to medication he was on for back problems, which had left him on disability allowance. Marek Puska, 36, is accused of withholding information crucial to the investigation into Ms Murphy's murder. He is on trial with his brother Lubomir Puska Jr, 35, also accused of withholding information. Marek Puska. Pic: Collins Courts Their wives, Jozefina Grundzova, 31, and Viera Gaziova, 38, are accused of impeding Jozef Puska's apprehension or prosecution by burning the clothes he wore when he murdered Ms Murphy. Each accused has pleaded not guilty. Yesterday, Detective Garda Cian Steers told prosecutor Anne-Marie Lawlor that on January 14, 2022, two days after Ms Murphy's murder, Marek agreed to give a voluntary statement at Tullamore Garda Station. He described how the family ended up in Ireland with three brothers, their wives, and 14 children all living in one house in Mucklagh, Tullamore. He described the recent months as 'golden times, the best of times', and added: 'I swear to God, everyone says they don't see a family like this getting on… We sit and talk and don't argue. Viera Gaziova and Lubomir Puska. Pic: Collins Courts 'The kids are at the top of everything and get everything,' he said. He and Jozef, he said, were on disability allowance due to back problems. On January 12, the day of the murder, Marek got up at his usual time of about 12.30pm. Jozef was not home, which was unusual, and he hadn't taken his phone. Marek went into Tullamore to search for Jozef. He visited a casino where Jozef would sometimes go and a plaza near the Bank of Ireland. When he still couldn't find Jozef, he went to a Garda station to report his brother missing and the local hospital to ask if anyone named Jozef Puska had checked in. Marek said he went to Dublin that evening but returned to Mucklagh the following day by bus. As he pulled up to the house, he noticed gardaí. A Polish garda told him that 'someone from my house had killed someone,' he said. Marek Puska and Jozefina Grundzova. Pic: Collins Courts He said nobody who knows his family would say they could kill someone. At the end of the statement, Marek said: 'I want to tell you a bit more, but I can't because of the medicine I have taken [for his back]. My doctor told me it can affect my memory.' He promised to contact gardaí if he remembered anything else, adding: 'I want to help.' Jozef Puska. In cross-examination, Detective Garda Steers agreed with defence counsel Karl Finnegan that at the start of the statement, Marek accurately described Jozef Puska's bicycle and immediately identified the bike when shown a photograph. Detective Garda Joanne O'Sullivan told Ms Lawlor that in the following days, gardaí became aware that Marek Puska wished to make a further voluntary statement. On the evening of January 18, gardaí took Marek to Mullingar Garda Station because all the interview rooms in Tullamore were in use. Ashling Murphy. The jury was previously told that Jozef Puska was arrested at 11.31am on January 18. Marek told Garda O'Sullivan that when he and Lubomir Jr were looking for Jozef on January 12, they received a phone call around 9pm telling them their brother was at home and in a 'poor state' having been 'beaten up'. He said Jozef had injuries and blood on his head, 'like he had been hit', and three holes in his abdomen. Later on the night of January 12, Marek said his parents arrived in Tullamore and Jozef left with them to go to their Dublin house. It is alleged that Marek failed to disclose that Jozef had returned home on the night of Ashling's murder with visible injuries and admitted to killing or causing serious injury to a woman. It is further alleged that he knew of the arrangement to burn Jozef's clothes and that Jozef Puska travelled to Dublin later that night. Lubomir Puska Jr, it is alleged, also withheld that Jozef returned home with visible injuries, admitted to 'cutting a female', and travelled to Dublin. Both men have pleaded not guilty to the offences, which are charged under the Offences Against the State, Amendment Act 1988. Ms Grundzova, married to Marek Puska, and Viera Gaziova, 38, married to Lubomir Puska Jr, pleaded not guilty to the offences, which are charged under the Criminal Law Act 1997. All the accused have an address at Lynally Grove, Mucklagh, Tullamore, Co. Offaly. The trial continues on Monday before Judge Caroline Biggs and a jury of seven men and five women.
The Irish Sun
23-05-2025
- The Irish Sun
Jozef Puska's brother told Ashling Murphy murder probe cops he couldn't tell them more due to back pain meds, court told
JOZEF Puska's brother told gardai investigating the murder of Ashling Murphy he wanted to tell them more but couldn't — because of medication he took for back pain. Marek Puska, 36, is accused of withholding information seen as being crucial to the probe into 2 Ashling Murphy was murdered in 2022 He told He is on trial with his brother Lubomir Puska Jnr, 35 — also accused of withholding information. Their wives, Jozefina Grundzova, 31, and Viera Gaziova, 38, are accused of impeding Jozef Puska's apprehension or prosecution after Each accused has pleaded not guilty. READ MORE IN NEWS Detective Marek said that he and his borther Jozef were on disability allowance due to back problems. On January 12, the day of the murder, Marek got up at about 12.30pm and that Jozef was not home, which was unusual, and he hadn't taken his phone. The court was told Marek went into Most read in Irish News When he still couldn't find Jozef, he went to a garda station to report his brother missing and the local hospital to see if he had checked in. Marek said he went to Ashling Murphy's boyfriend breaks silence after Puska found guilty As he pulled up to the house, he noticed gardai. He said that a Polish garda told him that 'someone from my house had killed someone". He asked if she was joking, and added: 'I did not know how to answer or what to say. . . is it about me, my brothers? I thought about it and said, 'No, it is not possible.'' The Court also heard that at the end of the statement, Marek said: 'I want to tell you a bit more, but I can't because of the medicine I have taken. My doctor told me it can affect my memory.' He promised to contact gardai if he remembered anything else, adding: 'I want to help.' In cross-examination, Det Gda Steers agreed with defence counsel Karl Finnegan SC that at the start of the statement, Marek accurately described Jozef's bicycle and immediately identified the bike when shown a photograph. Det Gda Joanne O'Sullivan told Ms Lawlor that in the following days, gardai became aware that Marek wished to make a further voluntary statement. The 2 Jozef Puska was jailed for the murder in 2023
Dublin Live
23-05-2025
- Dublin Live
Jozef Puska's brother 'couldn't tell gardai more' due to back pain medication
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Jozef Puska's brother Marek told gardai investigating the murder of Ashling Murphy that he wanted to tell them more but couldn't because of medication he was taking for back problems, which had left him on disability allowance. Marek Puska (36) is accused of withholding information that was crucial to the investigation into Ms Murphy's murder. He is on trial with his brother Lubomir Puska Jnr (35), who is also accused of withholding information. Their wives, Jozefina Grundzova (31) and Viera Gaziova (38), are accused of impeding Jozef Puska's apprehension or prosecution by burning the clothes he wore when he murdered Ms Murphy. Each accused has pleaded not guilty. Today, Detective Garda Cian Steers told prosecutor Anne-Marie Lawlor SC that on January 14, 2022, two days after Ms Murphy's murder, Marek agreed to give a voluntary statement at Tullamore Garda Station. He described how the family ended up in Ireland with three brothers, their wives, and 14 children all living in one house in Mucklagh, Tullamore. He described the recent months as "golden times, the best of times", and added: "I swear to god, everyone says they don't see a family like this getting sit and talk and don't argue." "The kids are at the top of everything and get everything," he said. He and Jozef, he said, were on disability allowance due to back problems. On January 12, the day of the murder, Marek got up at his usual time of about 12.30pm. Jozef was not home, which was unusual, and he hadn't taken his phone. Marek went into Tullamore to search for Jozef. He visited a casino where Jozef would sometimes go and a plaza near the Bank of Ireland. When he still couldn't find Jozef, he went to a garda station to report his brother missing and the local hospital to ask if anyone named Jozef Puska had checked in. Marek said he went to Dublin that evening but returned to Mucklagh the following day by bus. As he pulled up to the house, he noticed gardai. A Polish garda told him that "someone from my house had killed someone," he said. He asked if she was joking and added: "I did not know how to answer or what to it about me, my brothers? I thought about it and said, 'No, it is not possible'." He said nobody who knows his family would say they could kill someone. At the end of the statement, Marek said: "I want to tell you a bit more, but I can't because of the medicine I have taken [for his back]. My doctor told me it can affect my memory." He promised to contact gardai if he remembered anything else, adding: "I want to help." In cross-examination, Det Gda Steers agreed with defence counsel Karl Finnegan SC that at the start of the statement, Marek accurately described Jozef Puska's bicycle and immediately identified the bike when shown a photograph. Det Gda Joanne O'Sullivan told Ms Lawlor that in the following days, gardai became aware that Marek Puska wished to make a further voluntary statement. On the evening of January 18, gardai took Marek to Mullingar Garda Station because all the interview rooms in Tullamore were in use. The jury has previously been told that Jozef Puska was arrested at 11.31am on January 18. Marek told Gda O'Sullivan that when he and Lubomir Jnr were looking for Jozef on the 12th, they received a phone call at about 9pm telling them their brother was at home and in a "poor state" having been "beaten up". He said Jozef had injuries and blood on his head, "like he had been hit", and three holes in his abdomen. When Marek asked him about it, he said Jozef told him it was "not my business" and not to ask questions. Jozef did not want an ambulance and claimed to have self-inflicted the wounds to his abdomen, Marek said. Marek said he didn't believe his brother would do that to himself and cried when Jozef refused an ambulance. He said he is close to his brother, "like two halves of an apple, I can't live without him." Marek said he and Jozef would tell one another everything, and he had been struggling to sleep in the days since seeing the injuries. He described Jozef as the "go-to man" who would "help everyone". He said Jozef did not have mental issues and would talk through any problems he had. Later on the night of the 12th, Marek said his parents arrived in Tullamore and Jozef left with them to go to their house in Dublin. It is alleged that Marek Puska failed to disclose that Jozef had returned home on the night of Ashling's murder with visible injuries and admitted to killing or causing serious injury to a woman. It is further alleged that he knew of the arrangement to burn Jozef's clothes and that Jozef Puska travelled to Dublin later that night. Lubomir Puska Jnr, it is alleged, also withheld that Jozef returned home with visible injuries, admitted to "cutting a female", and travelled to Dublin. Both men have pleaded not guilty to the offences, which are charged under the Offences Against the State, Amendment Act 1988. Jozefina Grundzova (31), who is married to Marek Puska, and Viera Gaziova (38), who is married to Lubomir Puska Jnr, are accused of assisting in burning clothing between January 12 and 14th, without reasonable excuse, intending to impede the apprehension or prosecution of Jozef Puska, knowing or believing him to have committed the offence of murder or some other arrestable offence within the same category or of a similar nature. Ms Grundzova and Ms Gaziova pleaded not guilty to the offences, which are charged under the Criminal Law Act 1997. All the accused have an address at Lynally Grove, Mucklagh, Tullamore, Co Offaly. The trial continues on Monday before Ms Justice Caroline Biggs and a jury of seven men and five women.
Sunday World
23-05-2025
- Sunday World
Jozef Puska's brother couldn't tell gardai more about murder because of back problems
LATEST | Marek Puska (36) is accused of withholding information that was crucial to the investigation into Ashling Murphy's murder Marek Puska (36) is accused of withholding information that was crucial to the investigation into Ms Murphy's murder. He is on trial with his brother Lubomir Puska Jnr (35), who is also accused of withholding information. Their wives, Jozefina Grundzova (31) and Viera Gaziova (38), are accused of impeding Jozef Puska's apprehension or prosecution by burning the clothes he wore when he murdered Ms Murphy. Each accused has pleaded not guilty. Today, Detective Garda Cian Steers told prosecutor Anne-Marie Lawlor SC that on January 14th, 2022, two days after Ms Murphy's murder, Marek agreed to give a voluntary statement at Tullamore Garda Station. He described how the family ended up in Ireland with three brothers, their wives, and 14 children all living in one house in Mucklagh, Tullamore. He described the recent months as "golden times, the best of times", and added: "I swear to god, everyone says they don't see a family like this getting on... We sit and talk and don't argue. Marek Puska. Photo: Collins Courts News in 90 Seconds - May 23rd "The kids are at the top of everything and get everything," he said. He and Jozef, he said, were on disability allowance due to back problems. On January 12, the day of the murder, Marek got up at his usual time of about 12.30pm. Jozef was not home, which was unusual, and he hadn't taken his phone. Marek went into Tullamore to search for Jozef. He visited a casino where Jozef would sometimes go and a plaza near the Bank of Ireland. When he still couldn't find Jozef, he went to a garda station to report his brother missing and the local hospital to ask if anyone named Jozef Puska had checked in. Marek said he went to Dublin that evening but returned to Mucklagh the following day by bus. As he pulled up to the house, he noticed gardai. A Polish garda told him that "someone from my house had killed someone," he said. He asked if she was joking and added: "I did not know how to answer or what to say... is it about me, my brothers? I thought about it and said, No, it is not possible. Ashling Murphy He said nobody who knows his family would say they could kill someone. At the end of the statement, Marek said: "I want to tell you a bit more, but I can't because of the medicine I have taken [for his back]. My doctor told me it can affect my memory." He promised to contact gardai if he remembered anything else, adding: "I want to help." In cross-examination, Det Gda Steers agreed with defence counsel Karl Finnegan SC that at the start of the statement, Marek accurately described Jozef Puska's bicycle and immediately identified the bike when shown a photograph. Det Gda Joanne O'Sullivan told Ms Lawlor that in the following days, gardai became aware that Marek Puska wished to make a further voluntary statement. On the evening of January 18, gardai took Marek to Mullingar Garda Station because all the interview rooms in Tullamore were in use. The jury has previously been told that Jozef Puska was arrested at 11.31am on January 18. Read more Marek told Gda O'Sullivan that when he and Lubomir Jnr were looking for Jozef on the 12th, they received a phone call at about 9pm telling them their brother was at home and in a "poor state" having been "beaten up". He said Jozef had injuries and blood on his head, "like he had been hit", and three holes in his abdomen. When Marek asked him about it, he said Jozef told him it was "not my business" and not to ask questions. Jozef did not want an ambulance and claimed to have self-inflicted the wounds to his abdomen, Marek said. Marek said he didn't believe his brother would do that to himself and cried when Jozef refused an ambulance. He said he is close to his brother, "like two halves of an apple, I can't live without him." Marek said he and Jozef would tell one another everything, and he had been struggling to sleep in the days since seeing the injuries. He described Jozef as the "go-to man" who would "help everyone". He said Jozef did not have mental issues and would talk through any problems he had. Later on the night of the 12th, Marek said his parents arrived in Tullamore and Jozef left with them to go to their house in Dublin. It is alleged that Marek Puska failed to disclose that Jozef had returned home on the night of Ashling's murder with visible injuries and admitted to killing or causing serious injury to a woman. It is further alleged that he knew of the arrangement to burn Jozef's clothes and that Jozef Puska travelled to Dublin later that night. Lubomir Puska Jnr, it is alleged, also withheld that Jozef returned home with visible injuries, admitted to "cutting a female", and travelled to Dublin. Both men have pleaded not guilty to the offences, which are charged under the Offences Against the State, Amendment Act 1988. Jozefina Grundzova (31), who is married to Marek Puska, and Viera Gaziova (38), who is married to Lubomir Puska Jnr, are accused of assisting in burning clothing between January 12 and 14th, without reasonable excuse, intending to impede the apprehension or prosecution of Jozef Puska, knowing or believing him to have committed the offence of murder or some other arrestable offence within the same category or of a similar nature. Ms Grundzova and Ms Gaziova pleaded not guilty to the offences, which are charged under the Criminal Law Act 1997. All the accused have an address at Lynally Grove, Mucklagh, Tullamore, Co Offaly. The trial continues on Monday before Ms Justice Caroline Biggs and a jury of seven men and five women.
