EUREKA!

Private school children often grow up in a carefully protected bubble. Their privilege shields them from many of life’s cruelties, creating a world of like-minded students, parents, and teachers. The adults strive to give their children better opportunities for the future, building a space meant to foster creativity in a safe and nurturing environment. When everyone shares the same goals, it feels like a well-oiled machine. In theory, well-educated adults can come together to solve any problem.

But sometimes life throws a curve ball.

Suzanne (Lisa Anne Porter), Carina (Leontyne Mbele-Mbong), Don
(Howard Swain), Eli (Teddy Spencer), and Meiko (Charisse Loriaux)

That’s the premise of Jonathan Spector’s comedy-drama Eureka Day. Set in Berkeley circa 2018 — the same year the play premiered at Berkeley’s Aurora Theatre, newly shuttered but co-producing this Marin Theatre staging — centers on a private elementary school committed to sensitivity and inclusiveness. But when a mumps outbreak strikes, the campus is forced to close. The school board — made up of teachers and parents — scrambles to find a solution.

The satire is sharp, but the play gives equal weight to competing perspectives. What could easily descend into caricature instead becomes a debate without easy answers, embodied by a strong cast that renders each character with depth and humanity.

Don (Howard Swain), the older teacher with the most seniority, is the amiable chairperson and mediator who wants everyone to be heard. Eli (Teddy Spencer), a mustached, ponytailed liberal in loud, colorful clothes, radiates Marin County cool. Suzanne (Lisa Anne Porter), progressive and outspoken in socially conscious slogan T-shirts, insists that people at any age should be free to make their own choices. She clashes with Carina (Leontynne Mbele-Mbong), an educated newcomer who questions the group’s rubber-stamp consensus. Meiko (Charisse Loriaux), a young single mom in comfortable, form-fitting yoga wear, completes the board — while secretly carrying on an affair with Eli.

Almost all of the action unfolds in the school library, with Richard Olmsted’s detailed set — child-sized tables and chairs, plus a window view of the Golden Gate Bridge — instantly transporting us back to grade school.

With an ironic twist at the end, Spector’s play — which won the 2025 Tony Award for Best Revival — has sharp and believable dialogue, blending weighty debates with flashes of levity. A highlight is the live-streamed board meeting, where parents chime in via Zoom. Their scrolling commentary begins with playful banter before spiraling into insults and expletives — some of the night’s funniest moments.

Yet there is real poignancy too. In one affecting scene, Suzanne and Carina’s ideological clash softens when private pain is revealed. Director Josh Costello shapes the production with clarity, giving each performer moments of humor and vulnerability.

Eureka Day launches a new season for Marin Theatre. With arts funding dwindling across the Bay Area, it’s a timely and entertaining reminder of why local theater deserves support. This production makes the trip across the Golden Gate Bridge well worth it.

photos by David Allen

Eureka Day
Marin Theatre Company in partnership with Aurora Theatre Company
Marin Theatre, 397 Miller Avenue in Mill Valley
Wed-Sat at 7:30; Sat & Sun at 2
ends on September 28,2025
for tickets ($47-$85), call 415.388.5208 or visit Marin Theatre