Eureka Day
by Jonathan Spector
directed by Anna D. Shapiro
ON BROADWAY AT THE
SAMUEL J. FRIEDMAN THEATRE
2024-2025 Season
Wildly relevant and bitingly funny, Jonathan Spector’s play comes to MTC in an all-new production following an acclaimed London run. Eureka Day is a private California elementary school with a Board of Directors that values inclusion above all else—that is, until an outbreak of the mumps forces everyone in the community to reconsider the school’s liberal vaccine policy. As cases rise, the board realizes with horror that they’ve got to do what they swore they never would: make a choice that won’t please absolutely everybody.
Eureka Day is produced by special arrangement with Sonia Friedman Productions, Wagner Johnson Productions, and Seaview.
Major support for Eureka Day is provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation as part of The Sloan Initiative: Setting the Stage for Science and Technology.
Additional support is provided by The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation.
Ways to buy
Tickets
BY PHONE
single ticket sales:
Call Telecharge.com at
(212) 239-6200
GROUP ticket sales:
Call Broadway Inbound at
(866) 302-0995
IN PERSON
Samuel J. Friedman Theatre 261 West 47th Street
(between Broadway & 8th Ave.)
Mon-Sat: 12:00pm – 6:00pm
Sun: Closed
November
December
- Sun
- Mon
- Tue
- Wed
- Thu
- Fri
- Sat
January
February
- Sun
- Mon
- Tue
- Wed
- Thu
- Fri
- Sat
-
1
-
2
-
3
-
4
-
5
-
6
-
7
-
8
-
9
-
10
-
11
-
12
-
13
-
14
-
15
-
16
-
17
-
18
-
19
-
20
-
21
-
22
-
23
-
24
-
25
-
26
-
27
-
28
March
- Sun
- Mon
- Tue
- Wed
- Thu
- Fri
- Sat
-
1
-
2
-
3
-
4
-
5
-
6
-
7
-
8
-
9
-
10
-
11
-
12
-
13
-
14
-
15
-
16
-
17
-
18
-
19
-
20
-
21
-
22
-
23
-
24
-
25
-
26
-
27
-
28
-
29
-
30
-
31
April
- Sun
- Mon
- Tue
- Wed
- Thu
- Fri
- Sat
-
1
-
2
-
3
-
4
-
5
-
6
-
7
-
8
-
9
-
10
-
11
-
12
-
13
-
14
-
15
-
16
-
17
-
18
-
19
-
20
-
21
-
22
-
23
-
24
-
25
-
26
-
27
-
28
-
29
-
30
May
- Sun
- Mon
- Tue
- Wed
- Thu
- Fri
- Sat
-
1
-
2
-
3
-
4
-
5
-
6
-
7
-
8
-
9
-
10
-
11
-
12
-
13
-
14
-
15
-
16
-
17
-
18
-
19
-
20
-
21
-
22
-
23
-
24
-
25
-
26
-
27
-
28
-
29
-
30
-
31
June
- Sun
- Mon
- Tue
- Wed
- Thu
- Fri
- Sat
-
1
-
2
-
3
-
4
-
5
-
6
-
7
-
8
-
9
-
10
-
11
-
12
-
13
-
14
-
15
-
16
-
17
-
18
-
19
-
20
-
21
-
22
-
23
-
24
-
25
-
26
-
27
-
28
-
29
-
30
July
- Sun
- Mon
- Tue
- Wed
- Thu
- Fri
- Sat
-
1
-
2
-
3
-
4
-
5
-
6
-
7
-
8
-
9
-
10
-
11
-
12
-
13
-
14
-
15
-
16
-
17
-
18
-
19
-
20
-
21
-
22
-
23
-
24
-
25
-
26
-
27
-
28
-
29
-
30
-
31
Other ways to buy
BY PHONE
Call Telecharge.com
at (212) 239-6200
IN PERSON
Samuel J. Friedman Theatre
261 West 47th Street
(between Broadway & 8th Ave.)
GET DIRECTIONS
GROUP sales
Call Broadway Inbound
at (866) 302-0995
Manhattan Theatre Club produces a wide range of theatre both on and off-Broadway. In a history spanning almost 50 years, they have won 30 Tony Awards, 7 Pulitzer Prizes, and developed into one of the country’s most acclaimed theatres.
If you intend to see three or more MTC productions in the coming year, you can join MTC and add this show to your package now. MTC Subscribers save up to 40% off the cost of individual tickets, receive priority seating, early access to tickets, and no-risk flexibility to exchange tickets for a different performance date free of charge, for any reason.
You can also upgrade to MTC’s Patron Program to receive the best seats in the house and a multitude of other benefits, starting at $3,000.
A night out in NYC can break the bank, but as a member of our 30 Under 35 program, you’ll get a full evening of entertainment for only $30! You can buy a pair of $30 tickets for you and a friend to every Manhattan Theatre Club show. Plus, you’ll be invited to exclusive post-show parties where you’ll enjoy wine and hors d’oeuvres while mingling with other 30 Under 35 members. And the best part… it’s free and easy to join!
SIGN UP TODAY AND BE FIRST TO KNOW WHEN TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE
Student tickets are available at the box office on the day of the show when the box office opens. Tickets are $30 (including all fees), payable by cash or credit card, and are available to students with an ID from a degree or diploma granting institution. Tickets are subject to availability and are limited to two per valid ID. Note that students aged 35 or under may prefer to purchase their tickets through the 30 Under 35 program instead – see above.
Click here for a seating chart. The Friedman Theatre seats 650. Seating is on Orchestra, Premier Circle and Mezzanine levels—all seating accessible by elevator. For more information on accessibility, please click here.
Cast
AMBER GRAY has originated roles in numerous productions over the years including: Claudia in Sondheim’s final musical Here We Are; Persephone in Hadestown; Hélène in Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812; Laurey in Daniel Fish’s Oklahoma!; and Zoe in Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ An Octoroon. Other theatre gems include Sam Gold’s Macbeth on Broadway and Taylor Mac’s A 24 Decade History of Popular Music. Gray is a company member of The TEAM and has codeveloped and performed in their Mission Drift, Primer for a Failed Superpower, and the upcoming Reconstruction. theteamplays.org. Gray can always be found with radical performance community Reverend Billy and The Stop Shopping Choir who just wrapped up Neil Young’s Love Earth Tour as the opener. revbilly.com. TV/Film: upcoming “Long Bright River,” Barry Jenkins’ “Underground Railroad,” Broadway cult favorites “Submissions Only” and “The Gilded Age,” Ben Stiller’s “Escape at Dannemora,” Alex Harvey’s Walden: Life in the Woods, Gabe Braden’s Where There’s Smoke, Mariama Diallo’s Master, Michael VQ’s Submission, and The Arens’ Heartworm. MFA: NYU. |
JESSICA HECHT last appeared on Broadway in MTC’s production of Summer, 1976, receiving a Tony Award nomination for her performance. Her previous Broadway credits include The Price, Fiddler on the Roof, The Assembled Parties, Harvey, After the Fall, The Last Night of Ballyhoo, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Julius Caeser, and her Tony Award-nominated performance in A View from the Bridge. Off-Broadway, she has appeared in King Lear, Stage Kiss, Three Sisters, The Orchard, Letters from Max, and Admissions (Obie Award & Outer Critics Circle Award Nomination). Her recent television appearances include the Netflix series “Special,” for which she received an Emmy Award Nomination, and her roles on “Tokyo Vice,” “Super Pumped,” “The Sinner,” “The Loudest Voice,” “Dickinson,” “The Boys,” and “Succession.” She is also recognizable to television audiences from her roles in the beloved series “Friends” and “Breaking Bad.” Her film performances include A+, Anesthesia, J. Edgar, The Grey Zone, The Sitter, My Soul to Take, Dan in Real Life, Sideways, The Atlantic City Story, The Sunlit Night, Home, and the recently completed Eleanor the Great directed by Scarlett Johansson.
BILL IRWIN is an actor, director, writer, and clown. His original works include The Regard of Flight; Largely New York; Fool Moon; Old Hats; and The Happiness Lecture. Broadway: Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?; The Goat; Waiting For Godot; The Iceman Cometh; Fool Moon; Largely New York; Bye Bye Birdie. Off-Broadway: The Regard of Flight; Endgame; Old Hats; On Beckett (an evening of passages from the writings of Samuel Beckett). Television: “The Dropout;” “Elmo’s World” (Mr. Noodle); “CSI;” “Legion;” “Law and Order SVU;” “New Amsterdam;” “Blue Bloods;” “Quarry.” Film: Rustin; Rachel Getting Married; The Grinch Who Stole Christmas; Spoiler Alert; Interstellar; Eight Men Out; Stepping Out; Silent Tongue. He gratefully acknowledges awards and fellowships that have allowed a life in the theatre.
THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH is best known for his starring role in Mike Judge’s critically acclaimed HBO series, “Silicon Valley.” Thomas’ performance garnered him a 2016 Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, along with three Critics’ Choice nominations for Best Actor in a Comedy Series.
Thomas most recently starred opposite Annaleigh Ashford in the CBS comedy series, “B Positive,” executive produced by Chuck Lorre, and he currently voices the lead in the animated Hulu series, “Solar Opposites.”
Thomas starred in Netflix’s first ever improv special, “Middleditch and Schwartz,” based off of his nationally toured two-man improv show with Ben Schwartz.
Film credits include: Zombieland: Double Tap, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Tag, and The Wolf of Wall Street. Additional TV credits include: “The Good Fight,” “You’re the Worst,” and “Drunk History.”
Chelsea Yakura-Kurtz is a bicoastal theater, film, and television actress. In Los Angeles, she has originated roles such as Kat in the Steinberg Award-winning How the Light Gets In and Sei Shonagon in Unrivaled. She also recently played Elena in Pasadena Playhouse’s Uncle Vanya as part of their Tony-Award winning season. TV work includes Swarm (Amazon Prime), The Resident (CBS), The Flash (CW), Law & Order: SVU (NBC), Scandal (ABC), Longmire (Netflix), Station 19 (ABC) and Magnum PI (CBS). Recent film work includes Netflix’s Mr. Harrigan’s Phone, directed by John Lee Hancock. BFA: Boston University. This is her Broadway debut.
Amber Gray
Carina
Jessica Hecht
Suzanne
Bill Irwin
Don
Thomas Middleditch
Eli
Chelsea Yakura-Kurtz
Meiko
Creative
Jonathan Spector
Playwright
Jonathan Spector is a Playwright based in Oakland, California, making his Broadway debut. His plays include: Eureka Day (Glickman Award, Bay Area Theater Critics Circle Award, Rella Lossy Award, Theater Bay Area Award, WhatsOnStage Award nomination), This Much I Know (Glickman Award, Bay Area Theater Critics Circle Award, Edgerton Award), Best Available, Good. Better. Best. Bested., and In From The Cold. His work has been produced across the country and abroad a theaters including The Old Vic, Hampstead Theater, Aurora Theater, Colt Coeur, Asolo Rep, Syracuse Stage, Mosaic Theater, Theater J, InterAct, the State Theater of South Australia and Burgtheater. Jonathan has been a Playwrights Center Core Writer, TheatreWorks Core Writer, MacDowell Fellow, SPACE at Ryder Farm Resident, and Playwrights Foundation Resident Playwright. He has developed work with Ashland New Play Festival, Bay Area Playwrights Festival, Berkeley Rep’s Ground Floor, JAW Festival, New Harmony Project, and PlayPenn, among others. Commissions include Roundabout Theater Company, La Jolla Playhouse, Manhattan Theater Club, South Coast Rep and Miami New Drama. Jonathan is a graduate of the much-besieged New College of Florida.
Anna D. Shapiro
Director
Anna D. Shapiro is a Tony Award-winning director and served as Artistic Director of Steppenwolf Theatre Company from 2014 to 2021, where she remains an ensemble member. She joined the Steppenwolf ensemble in 2005 and was awarded the 2008 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play for August: Osage County (Steppenwolf, Broadway, London). She was nominated in 2011 in the same category for The Motherf**ker with the Hat (Public Theater, Labyrinth Theater). Other Steppenwolf directing credits include the world premiere production of The Minutes (also on Broadway); Mary Page Marlowe, Visiting Edna, Three Sisters, A Parallelogram, Up, The Crucible, The Unmentionables (also at Yale Repertory Theatre), The Pain and the Itch (also in New York), I Never Sang for My Father, Man from Nebraska, Purple Heart (also in Galway, Ireland), The Drawer Boy, Side Man (also in Ireland, Australia and Vail, Colorado), Three Days of Rain, The Infidel and This Is Our Youth (which transferred to Broadway). Additional Broadway credits include Of Mice and Men (with James Franco) and Fish in the Dark (with Larry David), and Off Broadway Domesticated (Lincoln Center Theater). Shapiro is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama and Columbia. She is a professor in Northwestern University’s Department of Theatre.
Todd Rosenthal
Scenic Design
Clint Ramos
Costume Design
Jen Schriever
Lighting Design
Rob Milburn & Michael Bodeen
Original Music & Sound Design
David Bengali
Projection Design
Ann C. James
Intimacy & Sensitivity Coordinator
Gigi Buffington
Vocal Coach
Caparelliotis Casting & Kelly Gillespie
Casting
Kevin Bertolacci
Production Stage Manager
Denise Cardarelli
Stage Manager
Jonathan Spector
Playwright
Anna D. Shapiro
Director
Todd Rosenthal
Scenic Design
Clint Ramos
Costume Design
Jen Schriever
Lighting Design
Rob Milburn & Michael Bodeen
Original Music & Sound Design
David Bengali
Projection Design
Ann C. James
Intimacy & Sensitivity Coordinator
Gigi Buffington
Vocal Coach
Caparelliotis Casting & Kelly Gillespie
Casting
Kevin Bertolacci
Production Stage Manager
Denise Cardarelli
Stage Manager