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Eureka Day

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Eureka Day
Written byJonathan Spector
Date premiered2018
Place premieredAurora Theatre Company
Original languageEnglish
GenreDrama
SettingBerkeley, California, Present Day

Eureka Day is a dramatic stage play written by American playwright Jonathan Spector.

The play is set at the Eureka Day School in Berkeley, California during a meeting between parents and faculty concerning requirements for vaccination after an outbreak of mumps in the student body.[1]

Original cast and characters

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Character Berkeley Off-Broadway London
2018 2019 2022
Eli Teddy Spencer Brian Wiles Ben Schnetzer
Don Rolf Saxon Thomas Jay Ryan Mark McKinney
Suzanne Lisa Anne Porter Tina Benko Helen Hunt
Meiko/May Charisse Loriaux K.K. Moggie Kirsten Foster
Carina Elizabeth Carter Susan Kelechi Watson

Production history

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Eureka Day had its world premiere at Aurora Theatre Company in Berkeley, California as part of their 2017-2018 season and was commissioned through their Originate+Generate program. The production was directed by Josh Costello.[2]

The play had its east coast premiere off-Broadway at Walkerspace on August 29, 2019, directed by Adrienne Campbell-Holt.[3] The original cast was reunited on May 22, 2020, for a virtual reading during the CoViD pandemic.[4]

A production opened at the Old Vic in London on September 23, 2022, following previews from September 6, directed by Katy Rudd.[5][6] The play has been produced at other regional theatres including Asolo Repertory Theatre in 2022[7] and Syracuse Stage in 2021.[8]

On April 8, 2024, Manhattan Theatre Club announced that Eureka Day would be a part of its 2024-2025 Broadway season, with the production set to open at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre in November 2024 and with Anna D. Shapiro attached to direct.[9][10]

References

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  1. ^ https://www.coltcoeur.org/eureka-day-1 [bare URL]
  2. ^ "Jonathan Spector's 'Eureka Day' wins 2019 Will Glickman Award". Datebook. 11 January 2019. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  3. ^ "Tina Benko Stars in Jonathan Spector's Eureka Day Off-Broadway". Playbill. 29 August 2019. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  4. ^ "Colt Coeur Reunites Original Off-Broadway Cast of EUREKA DAY for Virtual Charity Reading". Broadway World. 14 May 2020. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  5. ^ Gans, Andrew (29 July 2022). "See Who's Joining Oscar Winner Helen Hunt in Vaccine-Themed Comedy Eureka Day at London's Old Vic". Playbill. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  6. ^ "Cast joining Helen Hunt in Old Vic's Eureka Day announced | WhatsOnStage". www.whatsonstage.com. 29 July 2022. Retrieved 2022-08-21.
  7. ^ "Eureka Day Play Overview". playbill.com.
  8. ^ "Syracuse Stage Opens 2021/2022 Season for Live Performance with 'Eureka Day'". 11 October 2021.
  9. ^ Paulson, Michael (April 8, 2024). "'Eureka Day' and Sondheim Revue Join Broadway's Next Season". The New York Times. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  10. ^ Culwell-Block, Logan (April 8, 2024). "Bernadette Peters and Lea Salonga Will Star in Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends on Broadway". Playbill. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
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