DESERT THEATER FINDS ITS NEW HOME
WITH A PERFECTLY TIMED POWDER KEG

Welcome to the sharply funny Eureka Day,
where a mumps outbreak turns a school
board meeting into a full-contact sport

Last night was a massive milestone for our desert theater community. Dezart Performs officially opened their new season in their brand-new, first-ever permanent home—the Dezart Playhouse—and they couldn’t have picked a better play to christen the stage. Jonathan Spector’s Eureka Day — which won a Tony last year for Best Revival — is a total riot that hits way too close to home in the best way possible.

Joslynn Cortes (Meiko), Richard Perloff (Don) and Tamarra Graham (Carina)Tamarra Graham (Carina)

Set at a progressive private school in Berkeley, California, the play centers on a well-intentioned school board trying to maintain unity and inclusiveness—until a mumps outbreak triggers a fierce debate over vaccinations, personal freedom, and public health. Each board member arrives with their own idea of what ‘community’ means—and the outbreak turns that word into a weapon.

Joslynn Cortes (Meiko)Tamarra Graham (Carina), Michelle Miller-Day (Suzanne), Richard Perloff (Don)

Director Michael Shaw has put together an ensemble that is incredibly polished. They handle the script’s intentional chaos with heart and timing, and the arguments stay sharp and trackable even as the debate turns combustible. Richard Perloff (Don) is terrific as the “cool” board president—the guy trying to run a meeting like a grown-up while everyone else spirals. Michelle Miller-Day (Suzanne) starts off as the composed voice in the room, but her unraveling into raw, emotional territory becomes the real heart of the show.

Tamarra Graham (Carina), Michelle Miller-Day (Suzanne), Richard Perloff (Don)Joslynn Cortes (Meiko), Richard Perloff (Don), Tamarra Graham (Carina),
Michelle Miller-Day (Suzanne) and Skylar Gaines (Eli)

Tamarra Graham (Carina) brings grounded intelligence to the group, cutting through the noise like the person you want sitting next to you at any real-life town hall; it’s a sharp, smart performance. Skylar Gaines (Eli), seen last season as Mendel in Dezart’s stellar production of Falsettos, nails the high-strung energy of a parent caught in a tailspin. And Joslynn Cortes (Meiko) delivers a quiet intensity that balances out the madness, giving the board’s polite “we’re all listening” vibe a sharper edge underneath.

Michelle Miller-Day (Suzanne), Skylar Gaines (Eli) and Joslynn Cortes (Meiko)
Richard Perloff (Don), Joslynn Cortes (Meiko), Michelle Miller-Day (Suzanne),
Skylar Gaines (Eli) and Tamarra Graham (Carina)

The new space looks incredible, and the tech really shines here. Jason Reale’s library set is spot-on—it feels exactly like a Berkeley school, and his attention to detail is commendable. But the real showstopper is the projection design by David Bengali. There’s a scene involving a live Zoom chat that is easily the funniest thing I’ve seen on stage in a long time—an absolutely filthy-yet-accurate mirror of how we all behave online. A special shoutout, too, to Production Stage Manager Laura Stearns, for handling that scene (and the whole production) with aplomb.

Tamarra Graham (Carina), Michelle Miller-Day (Suzanne), Richard Perloff (Don)Joslynn Cortes (Meiko), Michelle Miller-Day (Suzanne),
Richard Perloff (Don), Tamarra Graham (Carina)

Eureka Day is exactly what theater should be: it makes you laugh until you hurt, but it doesn’t shy away from the messy, human stuff either. Huge congrats to the whole team on a successful opening in the new Playhouse!

Richard Perloff, Tamarra Graham, Michelle Miller-Day, Skylar GainesTamarra Graham (Carina) and Michelle Miller-Day (Suzanne)

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photos by David A. Lee

Eureka Day
Dezart Playhouse
605 S. Riverside Drive in Palm Springs
90 minutes with one intermission
Thurs-Sat at 7; Sat & Sun at 2
ends on January 25, 2026
for tickets ($78 including fees), call 760.322.0179 or visit Dezart Performs

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The new Dezart Playhouse is in the former First Church of Christ, Scientist,
designed in 1957 by Robson Chambers and Albert Frey (photo Clark Dugger)