Rita Cole, Ryan Didato, Jordyn Moone, Jeni Hacker, and Mark H. Dold. (Photo by Magnus Stark)
A play discussing the issue of the choice to vaccinate or not doesn’t sound humorous. However, playwright Jonathan Spector made a story about just this concept in his one act satire “Eureka Day.”
The play gets its South Florida premiere at GableStage in Coral Gables opening on Saturday, May 16 with performances through Sunday, June 14.
Jordyn Moone, Rita Cole, Jeni Hacker, and Ryan Didato. (Photo by Magnus Stark)
“Eureka Day” won Spector a 2025 Tony Award following its run that year at the Manhattan Theatre Club in New York. Spector’s play, “Birthright” was commissioned by Miami New Drama where it received its premiere at the Colony Theatre in Miami Beach. It opens off Broadway next month at MCC Theater, known for developing major new plays and musicals.
“Eureka Day” is set in a progressive, inclusive school in Berkeley, California. The plot centers on the school board having to create a vaccine policy during a mumps breakout. However, the attempts of the board to come to a consensus between all the parents attending the meeting fail.
“The plot does not sound funny by the description of the story, but the humor of the story comes from the interactions by all those attending the meeting,” said Stuart Meltzer, who is guest directing “Eureka Day” at GableStage. Meltzer is artistic director of Zoetic Stage in Miami.
Ryan Didato and Jordyn Moone. (Photo by Magnus Stark)
“I knew that I wanted to direct the play especially given that the issue of whether to vaccinate or not is still a prevalent issue today and so all the funny scenes in ‘Eureka Day’ are even more relevant now than when the play had its world premiere in 2018,” he said.
Meltzer also finds that the play is a conversation starter.
“(It) is a topically funny engaging piece of theatrical literature that is going to start conversation, get people talking, thinking and laughing.”
Jordyn Moone, Mark H. Dold, Rita Cole and Jeni Hacker are astonished by something they see in "Eureka Day." (Photo by Magnus Stark)
The humor comes from the interaction of the five characters in the play.
“Each character in the play has a strong viewpoint about vaxxing and because each person believes so strongly in their version of what is true, chaos breaks out and so do the laughs.”
Meltzer has spent the past two months not only directing “Eureka Day” but also at the same time directing the one-man, one act play “Moses” which ended its run at Zoetic Stage on May 17.
Both plays are very different and I was blessed with working with two creative teams that just made everything flow. I liked working hard on both plays. But working this hard makes me look forward to summer vacations.”
Ryan Didato and Mark H. Dold bond in "Eureka Day." (Photo by Magnus Stark)
The idea for Meltzer to direct at GableStage had been in the works.
“I was in talks for many years with Producing Artistic Director Bari Newport of GableStage about directing a play and this season all the stars aligned.”
As director, Meltzer handpicked his actors including Rita Cole, Ryan Didato, Mark H. Dold, Sarah Rose Guerrera, Jeni Hacker and Jordyne Moone for the cast of “Eureka Day.”
One of the actors is a frequent collaborator with Meltzer. He has cast Hacker in multiple Zoetic Stage productions, such as “After,” “Fiddler On The Roof,” “Passion,” “Sweeney Todd,” “The Mother,” and “Wicked Child,” among other Zoetic Stage productions over the past decade.
Jeni Hacker and Rita Cole in "Eureka Day." (Photo by Magnus Stark)
“Above all, I respect that Jeni is both funny and dramatic and I knew that she would be perfect as Suzanne in ‘Eureka Day.’ The bottom line is that, over all the years I worked with Jeni, I trust her to be as perfect as she can be.”
As Suzanne, Hacker portrays a woman who is against forcing anyone to be vaccinated, no matter the situation. Suzanne is a wealthy life coach and the school’s unofficial leader.
“My character is strong and the audience will initially laugh at Suzanne’s views,” said Hacker. “Suzanne justifies her stance with personal, emotionally charged stories. As the audience begins to learn more about Suzanne there will be dramatic scenes in the play in which the audience is more likely to cry than laugh. Suzanne is advocating for actions that she feels are right for everyone in the school.”
Rita Cole and Jeni Hacker. (Photo by Magnus Stark)
Hacker plays Suzanne for all performances, except for the May 20 to May 24 shows when actress Sarah Rome Guerra, who graduated recently from The New World School in Miami, fills in in the role.
Actor Mark H. Dold is cast as Don, the principal of the school, who is attempting to create a consensus to solve the outbreak of the mumps.
“Don is a well-meaning overwhelmed principal, but can’t manage to get everyone to agree to a solution and the situation becomes more chaotic but also funny as the discussion begins,” said Dold.
Dold is known for his performances at GableStage in “Harry Clarke” and “The Lehman Trilogy.”
“The play is about not judging a book by its cover. You can’t pigeonhole a person. The play uses humor to explore complex issues. It is a comedy but evolves into a drama with a memorable ending,” added Meltzer.
IF YOU GO
WHAT: Playwright Jonathan Spector’s one act one hour, 40 minute production of the satire “Eureka Day” about parents in a California progressive school trying to come to a consensus about the right to refrain from vaccination during an outbreak of the mumps.
WHEN: Friday, May 15 through Sunday, June 14. Wednesdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. Matinees on Wednesdays and Sundays at 3 p.m. Other matinee performances on Saturdays at 2 p.m. on May 30, June 6 and 13.
WHERE: GableStage, 1200 Anastasia Ave., Coral Gables.
TICKETS: $ 50
INFO: 305-445-1119 or gablestage.org
