In this episode, Kenneth Lonergan moderates a conversation about Stereophonic, David Adjmi’s Tony Award-winning play. Set in mid-1970s Sausalito, the story takes us inside a recording studio where a rock band on the brink of superstardom struggles to create their sophomore album. Fueled by booze, sleep deprivation, and a giant bag of cocaine, the band’s relationships are pushed to the breaking point as a process meant to last weeks stretches indefinitely. With original songs by Arcade Fire’s Will Butler, Adjmi’s epic play offers an electrifying portrait of creative tension, division, and the pursuit of a masterpiece.
David Adjmi’s other works include Stunning, Marie Antoinette, 3C, Elective Affinities, and The Evildoers. He is a Guggenheim Fellow, Whiting Writers’ Award recipient, and Steinberg Playwright Award winner, and his memoir Lot Six was published by HarperCollins. Kenneth Lonergan, celebrated as a playwright and filmmaker, co-wrote Gangs of New York and wrote and directed You Can Count on Me, Margaret, and Manchester by the Sea, for which he won the Academy Award and BAFTA for Best Original Screenplay. Lonergan’s best-known plays include This Is Our Youth, Lobby Hero, and The Waverly Gallery.
Throwback to the 2012 production of Marie Antoinette directed by the brilliant @rebecca.taichman & starring the luminous @marinireland and many many superstar actors. This was a landmark first (and maybe only??) coproduction between A.R.T. at Harvard and my artistic home @yalerep and is one of my favorite ever artistic experiences. These are just scraps of photos and little videos I took during tech. The great Karole Armitage choreographed the “quadrille” and had to completely reinvent it between productions. I’d never done a show at this scale before and it was such a luxury to have a chance to redraft and rethink it over time. It was an incredible learning experience — and an incredible experience, period.
“Relentlessly compelling… as rich and lustrous as they come. You could even call it platinum.” – The New York Times
Hot off the press: Stereophonic, the sensational @thetonyawards -winning play! Written by @davidadjmi and featuring original music by @butlerwills (formerly of Arcade Fire), this critically acclaimed masterpiece offers intimate, fly-on-the-wall access to the agony and ecstasy of the creative process.
Get your copy at the link in bio. ⭐ #ReadMorePlays
Rock is so back in the West End. 🎸
@stereophonicldn fuses painstakingly crafted narrative with a brilliantly original score performed live on stage.
The final mix? An epic rockumentary encapsulated in three theatrical hours.
📍 @dukeofyorksldn
#Stereophonic #London #WestEnd
This trip to London changed my life. My relationships with my collaborators only deepened, and I met the most incredible people. @sfpofficial thank you for giving us the freedom and support to make this in an organic way for UK audiences. Thank you to @riddifordjack@lucykarczewski@zacharyhart and Nia Towle for giving everything to these roles, and to the Yanks @eligelb4now@andrewrbutler and Chris Stack who could have phoned it in but insisted on refining and honing their already glorious performances. I’m so incredibly proud of what we made together.
