Freakonomics Radio

Hit by Covid, runaway costs, and a zillion streams of competition, serious theater is in serious trouble. A new hit play called Stereophonic — the most Tony-nominated play in history — has something to say about that. We speak with the people who make it happen every night. (Part one of a two-part series.) SOURCES:David Adjmi, author and playwright.Sonia Friedman, theater producer and founder of Sonia Friedman Productions.John Johnson, theater producer and co-founder of Wagner Johnson Productions.Tom Pecinka, actor.Sarah Pidgeon, actor. RESOURCES:Stereophonic, by David Adjmi, Will Butler, and Daniel Aukin (2023).Lot Six: A Memoir, by David Adjmi (2020)."On the Performing Arts: The Anatomy of Their Economic Problems," by W. J. Baumol and W. G. Bowen (The American Economic Review, 1965).