Sarah Pidgeon might be a Broadway newbie, but she’s already left her mark on the stage.
The 27-year-old is up for Best Featured Actress in a Play at the 2024 Tony Awards for her performance in Stereophonic, which marked her live theater debut. With a total of 13 nods, including Best Play, Stereophonic broke the record for most nominations ever earned by a play. (Jeremy O. Harris‘ Slave Play previously held the title with 10 nods.)
With music written by Arcade Fire’s Will Butler, Stereophonic focuses on a fictional rock band on the verge of their big break as they record their new album in Sausalito, California, in the late ’70s. The tension between band members — both in the studio and in their personal relationships — quickly drew comparisons to Fleetwood Mac in their Rumours era. (Or another fictional band, Daisy Jones & The Six.)
Pidgeon plays vocalist Diana, and despite taking place in an entirely different decade, Pidgeon has found similarities between herself and her character.
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“This woman is really at [the] crosshairs of a lot of decision-making and newness. And the one person who’s supposed to be in her corner undermines her in this unconscious way, which makes it even more difficult,” she told Rolling Stone earlier this month. “Sometimes it feels like Diana has my skin and my voice, but not my heart. And when I take a shower, it’s done. And then there are other nights where it’s like, ‘Oh, my God, that felt a little too real. I need my mom.’”
Seeing Diana’s experience through a modern lens provided some challenges, however. “The thing I struggled with the most was divorcing my 2024 experience from that of a woman in the 1970s,” Pidgeon told The Cut in May, emphasizing that the character “is not a Frankenstein of Linda Ronstadt and Stevie Nicks.”
She continued, “For a while, I was like, ‘How is she still in this relationship?’ But something my costar Juliana [Canfield] and I talked a lot about is she doesn’t know who Gloria Steinem is. It’s not our place to judge these women. The audience can do that.”
Scroll down to learn more about Pidgeon:
1. She’s Appeared on Hit Shows
Before taking on Broadway, Pidgeon starred on Prime Video’s The Wilds and Hulu’s Tiny Beautiful Things.
“When you’re shooting a scene, you have a couple of hours to do as many takes as possible. And then there’s an edit,” she told The Cut while reflecting on the biggest differences between stage and screen. “With theater, there are some days where I walk off stage, and I’m like, ‘I did that so much better yesterday. And I get to do it again tonight.’”
2. She Auditioned for ‘Stereophonic’ Twice
Pidgeon initially read for her role ahead of the COVID shutdown in 2020 and had the opportunity to revisit the project when restrictions were eventually lifted.
“I watched my audition tape and was so glad that I got to do it again because I was three years younger and hadn’t lived through a global pandemic yet,” she told Rolling Stone.
In a separate conversation with Vogue, Pidgeon noted that the time allowed her to find a deeper connection with her character. “There were things that she was talking about that I could see in my own life more clearly,” she explained.
3. She Doesn’t Have Much Musical Training
Pidgeon’s voice commands the stage, but her focus was never on music completely. “I played classical piano growing up. Around 13 years old, I wanted to be like Norah Jones. But I never really progressed with piano,” she told The Cut. “It’s not that I’ve never taken singing lessons. When I was 15, my mom and I would drive from Birmingham to Ann Arbor to take lessons, and I had gotten Adele’s 21.”
Adele was an “influential” artist for Pidgeon at the time. “I was also learning to drive. I would have my permit, and I would just sing ‘Rolling in the Deep,’ and then my mom would listen to me belt some musical-theater song for an hour,” she recalled.
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4. She’s Dating Someone
Pidgeon played coy about her personal life during a joint interview with costar Canfield. When asked whether the pair “both have partners,” Pidgeon simply answered, “Mm-hmm,” without providing further details.
5. She Includes Gossip in Her Pre-Show Routine
Stereophonic‘s leading ladies share a dressing room, allowing them to forge a strong bond. Their daily ritual backstage includes plenty of hydration, facial steams and — most importantly — spilling tea.
“We debrief, and we’re really good at it,” Pidgeon told Rolling Stone. There’s nothing super unique about it. But I think checking in with Juliana and just having that time to be like, ‘Where are you at today?’ changes my show.”
