Eureka Day
Island City Stage's Hilarious Satire
By: Aaron Krause - Aug 28, 2026
Think you can build consensus on the subject of vaccines? No?
The folks at Eureka Day School can’t seem to, either.
But most people will probably agree that South Florida’s first production this past spring of Jonathan Spector’s stinging satire, Eureka Day, at GableStage, was rib-tickling and touching. Consensus will also likely hold that Island City Stage (ICS) in Wilton Manors is staging its own comical treat that also honors the play’s weightiness.
ICS’s production runs through Sept. 13 in the company’s intimate black-box theater in Wilton Manors.
Eureka Day, set in the fall of 2018, is a bitingly funny satire about a progressive private elementary school in Berkeley, Calif. The institution prides itself on radical inclusion, listening to every perspective, and making all decisions strictly by consensus, leading to lots of long board meetings. But when a mumps outbreak hits the school, the board of directors must reexamine its liberal, relaxed vaccination requirements. The incident also illustrates how being inclusive becomes harder when people confront a controversial issue such as vaccination. As infections rise within Eureka Day School, the board realizes it faces a daunting task: making a definitive choice that will not please everyone.
During one of the board’s meetings, Don, the head of school, says, “It sounds like there’s a lot to unpack here.” There’s also much to consider in Spector’s comedy. It explores performative progressiveness, the challenges of consensus-based decision-making, the subjectivity of truth, the conflict between ideology and reality, and how digital discourse can strip communication of empathy and accountability. Somehow, though, the play never feels overstuffed. It remains a tightly written work that sensitively explores the serious and dense viewpoints and topics it raises while producing belly laughs. One of the play’s funnier lines is, “My dog has way more hours in sniffing s--t than Western doctors, that doesn’t make him a Proctologist.” The line comes during what the board calls a “Community Activated Conversation.” The meeting takes place over a Facebook Live-like platform that allows participants to chat in real time while the board tries to keep the discussion focused.
Director Andy Rogow, along with his cast, establishes strong comic timing, but also allows tender moments time to land and truly affect audiences. There is enough variety in the characters’ speech patterns, tones and movement that they never become talking heads in a talk-heavy play. During the online community meeting, the actors ignore the nasty and darkly humorous chat comments and continue the meeting, regardless of how long and loud the audience laughs. The board members’ commitment to continuing the meeting despite the audience’s laughter at the nasty online comments demonstrates their focus while also making the committee seem almost naive about the hostility building around them.
The cast is uniformly strong, acting impressively naturally and with spontaneity while bringing their characters to life.
With convincing vitality, Brandon Campbell plays Eli, a stay-at-home dad and former technology worker. Campbell, who at times stands and moves while speaking, makes Eli animated and genuinely invested in what the board is discussing. During a scene in a hospital waiting room, after his son becomes ill with mumps, Campbell’s Eli is obviously affected and moved by kindness from fellow board member Meiko, who is at the hospital for moral support.
Jen Chia ably portrays Meiko, a single mother involved in an affair with Eli. For the most part, Chia’s Meiko is quieter than the others and heavily concentrates on knitting during meetings. One wonders whether she’s paying as much attention to the meetings as she does to her hobby. Toward the end of the play, she unleashes a rant that seems naturally intense and sincere. It seems as though for some time, the words have been stuck in her vocal cords, just waiting to pour out of her mouth. Chia’s Meiko is touchingly compassionate in a scene at the hospital with Eli, and the pair demonstrate strong chemistry.
Rita Cole, who portrayed Carina in GableStage’s production, returns to the role and shines as brightly as she did earlier. Cole, speaking eloquently and sharply, imbues Carina with assertiveness without nastiness. Rather, Cole’s Carina seems open-minded and eager to learn about the school (Carina is a parent new to the school.) Cole’s facial expressions are as telling as her words. The expression on the veteran, award-winning performer’s face is cool when she faces conflict with fellow board member Suzanne. At times, she doesn’t look at Suzanne. But her expression seamlessly shifts from chilly to sincerely sympathetic when Suzanne relates a heartbreaking personal story that makes us understand why she harbors anti-vaccine views. While we may not agree with her, we know where she’s coming from.
Ted Dechatelet plays Don with a gentleness and eagerness that would ingratiate the character to many inside and outside the Eureka Day School community. Genuine concern is etched in his face and pours from his voice during meetings. When the atmosphere chills and sparks fly during the community meeting, Dechatelet’s Don becomes overwhelmed, and the actor conveys this through telling gestures. At least once, he yells, a noise that sounds unusually harsh for the mild-mannered man. Dechatelet’s Don is consistently energetic but more understated than Mark Dold’s highly animated Don in GableStage’s production.
Maribeth Graham plays Suzanne, the wealthy founder of the school, with believable passion and even vehemence, but not nastiness. Graham makes us sense credible tension between Suzanne and Carina at times, and her Suzanne, obviously emotional, delivers a heart-wrenching speech that makes us understand, if not agree with, her anti-vaccine views. Graham’s Suzanne smiles at times, but her smile doesn’t always mean she’s happy.
Just as the acting succeeds, behind-the-scenes artists do their part to bring the play’s world to believable life.
Michael McClain’s spacious, sunny, and colorful set depicting the titular school’s library is inviting and includes signs such as “Be Kind” and “All Stories Matter.” Such slogans establish the open, inclusive and welcoming atmosphere that pervades Eureka Day School. Graphics of different types of fish may unintentionally reinforce the school’s dedication to inclusion and diversity. The roomy set is neat and well organized, with clearly labeled sections for books according to subject. The set’s sunniness and orderliness contrast with the chaos and mudslinging that eventually take over.
Ardean Landhuis’s lighting is mostly realistic and bright, subtly reinforcing the play’s upbeat atmosphere until chaos reigns, and W. Emil White’s costumes are character appropriate.
Spector, a Tony Award-winning playwright, is known for intellectually ambitious social satires that tackle polarizing contemporary issues with nuance, humor and sociological insight. Rather than writing heavy-handed morality plays or forcing audiences to pick sides, Spector focuses on what happens when well-meaning people fundamentally disagree about what “caring” really looks like. His dialogue is razor-sharp and naturalistic, shifting fluidly between laugh-out-loud comedy and dramatic tension.
In the final analysis, Eureka Day is a timely, touching, thought-provoking and funny satire that isn’t merely about a vaccine dispute. It uses the mumps outbreak at the titular school to test progressive ideals when people confront nuanced, controversial topics that resist easy consensus. The play also leaves us wondering whether our own attempts to be inclusive are sincere or simply performative.
It’s not surprising that the region has experienced two productions in a relatively short amount of time. With its sensitive treatment of timely topics, humor, and pathos, Eureka Day is the third most-produced play in the United States this season.
IF YOU GO
WHAT: Eureka Day by Jonathan Specftor
WHEN: Through Sept. 13
WHERE: Island City Stage’s intimate black-box theater, 2304 N. Dixie Highway in Wilton Manors.
TICKETS: Visit https://www.islandcitystage.org or call (954) 928-9800.