Why seeing a play from the cheap seats can change your life – with special guest playwright Beth Steel

Welcome to this week’s episode of the WhatsOnStage Podcast!

As her brilliant play Till the Stars Come Down transfers to the West End, playwright Beth Steel talks to chief critic Sarah Crompton about her unexpected discovery of theatre and the mental blocks and financial obstacles that stop working class voices being heard.

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Steel’s play, which premiered at the National’s Dorfman Theatre in early 2024, received widespread praise for its portrayal of a family’s dynamics during a wedding in a former mining town.

Crompton gave it a five-star write-up, describing the piece as an “utterly unmissable play” and “a theatrical event to remember.”