←Recommendations of Eureka Day

It's rare I read a play that hits me on so many levels. The comedy is spot on, the way the characters' inner lives are revealed through dialogue and body language, the emotional punch of the second act. And don't get me started on the bravura display of the online message thread. Wow.

Jonathan Spector's Eureka Day is a brilliant satire of how the utopian dream of the welcoming community can be an invitation to conspiracy theories, anti-scientific thinking, medical quackery, and toxic wokeness, whether into the curriculum of a progressive school or in a social media discussion. The social media scene, in particular, comprises a wonderfully hilarious cacophonous comic crescendo –– but Spector is sure to remind audiences of potentially tragic consequences as well. (I saw the 2019 Mosaic Theater Company of DC production.)

Such a phenomenal play. Equally parts side-splittingly hilarious and emotionally resonant. Tackles an incredibly relevant topic and manages to investigate it in a way that reveals a ton about our contemporary moment and the way we interact with those we disagree with. Its use of Facebook Live is ingenious, and its characters are diverse and their motivations earned and believable. Produce it!

This play is fantastic. It’s funny and poignant and so very topical. Also, having lived in Berkeley (and raised kids there), Spector completely nails all the specifity of this environment. It was a treat to read, and would be incredible in production. Highly recommend more theaters pick this up and produce immediately!

This play was a FINALIST for the 2017-2018 In-Progress New Play Reading Series at Unicorn Theatre in Kansas City, Missouri. It is our pleasure to support EUREKA DAY.

As a former teacher from a Quaker school, this satirizing of the "well-meaning-liberal-agenda gone astray" is so very on point. The group chat gone awry is one of the funniest scenes I've read in a long time, and it had me laughing uncontrollably to myself on a quiet plane. I'd love to see what that looked like in production! This is a fresh and novel group of people rendered onstage, and Spector shifts effortlessly between hilarity and poignant personal tragedy.

Really smart and really well built. and NOW. so very NOW. Terrific play.

Robert Frost once said, "A liberal is someone who would rather fuss with the Gordian knot than cut it." This play demonstrates the truth of his observation with subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) hilarity as it skewers the self-absorption and muddle-headedness of one subset of the coastal elites. I generally dislike plays that showcase technology/social media, but this one integrates it perfectly into the text.

One of the most exhilarating scripts I have read in a while. Funny, moving, sharp, everything a great play should have. Plus, the best use of technology I have ever experienced theatrically. A Must-Read.

I'm recommending this on the basis of only having read half because it's engaging, hilarious in its observation of humanity, and gnawing in its ability unleash all the feelings. It's hard to articulate all the ways that this play just completely and totally WORKS. Jonathan--send me Act II!! Edited to add: Just finished the entire play, and it's one of the best I've read in some time.