Christopher Demos-Brown’s American Son arrives on Broadway this fall, beginning previews October 6 at the Booth Theatre. Kenny Leon directs a cast that includes Kerry Washington, Steven Pasquale, and Jeremy Jordan.

Set in a Miami police station in the middle of the night, the play—which unfolds in real-time—follows a separated, interracial couple who reconnect after their son goes missing. “It’s a very civil play about people expressing ideas and listening to each other and expressing their passion for love and the country,” Leon explains in the video above. He, Demos-Brown, and the full company emphasize that the play’s timeliness and urgency should challenge audiences to listen more and provoke difficult but needed conversations.

American Son marks Washington’s return to the Broadway stage after nine years. Since making her debut in Race, she celebrated a six year, Emmy- and Golden Globe-nominated turn on ABC’s Scandal as crisis management honcho Olivia Pope. Similarly, Jeremy Jordan is beckoned back to Broadway after appearing in the CW’s Supergirl. Both admit they’ve missed the stage, and that while it may be familiar territory, American Son also provides new opportunities and challenges—for themselves and for audiences.

“I’m really excited to be playing a character that’s very different than Olivia, and I hope that our Scandal fans will come and see the show,” Washington says. “In the same way that Scandal challenged your intellect and made you think about the world in different ways, the play does that. But it’s also different. It’s theatre; it’s magic.

“There’s nothing like sitting in the room in the dark with a bunch of strangers and being on a journey together for an hour and a half.”

American Son, also featuring Eugene Lee, officially opens November 4.