Video: Watch Will Buter and the Cast of STEREOPHONIC Talk Building the Band

CBS Correspondent Anthony Mason visited the set of Stereophonic for CBS Mornings, where he discussed the Tony-nominated play with composer Will Butler and several cast members from the show.

Butler brought Mason into the recording studio featured in the show and recalled the early days of collaborating with playwright David Adjmi before the songs had been written.

"5 or 6 years in, Adjmi finishes the script and [it says] 'The band plays something transcendent,'" Butler remembered.

After the script was completed, the creative team needed to find a group of actors who could portray a believable band onstage. Two of the cast members- Sarah Pidgeon and Juliana Canfield- had never before sung professionally and were instead cast for their acting chops.

When asked about the name of the fictional band, the cast played coy, saying that "it's a secret."

Stereophonic has been nominated for 13 Tony Awards, earning the distinction of being the most nominated play in Tony's history. An extension of the play was also announced, with a new closing date of January 5th, 2025.

Watch the full CBS segment!

Direct from its smash hit world premiere engagement at Playwrights Horizons, Stereophonic is directed by Daniel Aukin and dominated the “Best Theater of 2023” lists, with top rankings in The New York Times, New York Magazine, The Washington Post, Time Out New York, Town & Country, TheaterMania, Theaterly, and The Spectator.

The cast, reprising their highly lauded performances, will include Will Brill as Reg, Andrew R. Butler as Charlie, Juliana Canfield as Holly, Eli Gelb as Grover, Tom Pecinka as Peter, Sarah Pidgeon as Diana, and Chris Stack as Simon.
 
Stereophonic mines the agony and the ecstasy of creation as it zooms in on a music studio in 1976. Here, an up-and-coming rock band recording a new album finds itself suddenly on the cusp of superstardom. The ensuing pressures could spark their breakup — or their breakthrough. In Stereophonic, Adjmi invites the audience to immerse themselves—with fly-on-the-wall intimacy—in the powder keg process of a band on the brink of blowing up.
 
The Stereophonic creative team includes David Zinn (scenic designer), Enver Chakartash (costume designer), Jiyoun Chang (lighting designer), Ryan Rumery (sound designer), Justin Craig (music director), and Gigi Buffington (voice, text, and dialect coach). Casting is by Alaine Alldaffer and Taylor Williams, CSA.