Stereophonic -- David Adjmi, Paperback

An epic play with music that examines the human costs of the quest for artistic greatness.

The place: Sausalito. The time: the mid-1970s. The carpet: brown shag. Stereophonic brings us inside the cloistered world of a recording studio as a rock band on the brink of superstardom attempts to create their sophomore album. The ensuing pressures open up cracks in the band's once-easy camaraderie, and spats over issues like tempo and song length begin to reveal deeper problems in the band's foundation. Running on a diet of booze, sleep deprivation, and a giant bag of cocaine, interpersonal relationships are pushed to the breaking point as a process that was meant to last a few weeks becomes a neverending slog. With original songs by Arcade Fire's Will Butler, David Adjmi's play is an electrifying portrait of a band wracked with division and disillusionment that nevertheless might be on the verge of creating a masterpiece.

About the Author

David Adjmi's plays include Marie Antoinette (Soho Rep, American Repertory Theater, Yale Repertory Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre Company), 3C (Rattlestick Playwrights Theater), Elective Affinities (Royal Shakespeare Company, Soho Rep), Stunning (LCT3/Lincoln Center Theater, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company), The Evildoers (Sundance, Yale Repertory Theatre), Caligula (Soho Rep Studio Series) and Strange Attractors (Empty Space). He was awarded a 2011 Guggenheim Fellowship, the Whiting Writers' Award, the Kesselring Fellowship a Steinberg Playwright Award and the Bush Artist Fellowship, among others. His memoir Lot Six was published by HarperCollins in 2020.

Will Butler is an American multi-instrumentalist and composer who is best known as a former member of the indie rock band Arcade Fire. He plays synthesizer, bass, guitar and percussion. In 2014, Butler was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Score for his work on the original score of the film Her. His latest album Will Butler + Sister Squares was released in September 2023 on Merge Records.