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.