| Eureka Day begins performances on Monday, November 25 at Manhattan Theatre Club's Samuel J. Friedman Theatre | |
| Posted by: Official_Press_Release 02:40 pm EST 11/22/24 | |
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| PERFORMANCES BEGIN MONDAY, NOVEMBER 25 FOR THE BROADWAY PREMIERE OF EUREKA DAY BY JONATHAN SPECTOR DIRECTED BY ANNA D. SHAPIRO WITH AMBER GRAY JESSICA HECHT BILL IRWIN THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH CHELSEA YAKURA-KURTZ OPENING NIGHT WILL BE MONDAY, DECEMBER 16 AT THE SAMUEL J. FRIEDMAN THEATRE PRODUCED AS PART OF THE ALFRED P. SLOAN FOUNDATION INITIATIVE, SLOAN TALKBACK ANNOUNCED FOR WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8 (New York, NY – November 22, 2024 – Manhattan Theatre Club—Lynne Meadow, Artistic Director and Chris Jennings , Executive Director—is pleased to announce that performances begin on Monday, November 25 for the Broadway premiere of Eureka Day, a play by Jonathan Spector, directed by Tony Award winner Anna D. Shapiro (Broadway: August: Osage County). Opening night is Monday, December 16 at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre (261 West 47th Street). Chelsea Yakura-Kurtz, Jessica Hecht, Bill Irwin, Thomas Middleditch and Amber Gray, the cast of Manhattan Theatre Club's Broadway premiere of Eureka Day, written by Jonathan Spector, directed by Anna D. Shapiro. Credit: Ashton Worthington. The production stars Tony Award nominee Amber Gray (Broadway: Hadestown; Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812), two-time Tony Award nominee Jessica Hecht (Broadway: Summer, 1976 at MTC; A View from the Bridge), Tony Award winner Bill Irwin (Broadway: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Largely New York), Emmy Award nominee Thomas Middleditch (Television: "Silicon Valley"), and Chelsea Yakura-Kurtz (Television: "Scandal," "The Resident"). Jonathan Spector's explosive and timely comedy had its world premiere at Aurora Theatre Company in Berkeley, CA., and has been seen Off-Broadway at Colt Coeur and in London at The Old Vic. The New York Times, in their Critic's Pick review of the Off-Broadway production, praised Eureka Day as "the perfect play for our age of disagreement." Eureka Day is a private California elementary school with a Board of Directors that values inclusion above all else—that is until an outbreak of the mumps forces everyone in the community to reconsider the school's liberal vaccine policy. As cases rise, the board realizes with horror that they've got to do what they swore they never would: make a choice that won't please absolutely everybody. The production features: scenic design by Tony Award winner Todd Rosenthal; costume design by Tony Award winner Clint Ramos; lighting design by two-time Tony Award nominee Jen Schriever; original music and sound design by Drama Desk Award nominees Rob Milburn & Michael Bodeen; projection design by Tony Award nominee David Bengali; intimacy & sensitivity coordinator Ann C. James; vocal coach Gigi Buffington; casting by Caparelliotis Casting & Kelly Gillespie; Production Stage Manager Kevin Bertolacci. Eureka Day is presented by special arrangement with Sonia Friedman Productions, Wagner Johnson Productions, and Seaview Productions. Major support for Eureka Day is provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation as part of The Sloan Initiative: Setting the Stage for Science and Technology. Additional support is provided by The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation. MTC is pleased to announce that on Wednesday, January 8, following the 7:00 pm performance, there will be a Sloan panel discussion that will address the medical and social impacts of vaccination and public health policy and other scientific themes in the play. MTC's Beyond the Stage Series Manhattan Theatre Club's Beyond the Stage series enriches and expands the impact of MTC's productions and theatrical storytelling by offering members of our local and virtual communities free opportunities to engage with leading artists, scholars, and cultural influencers, and to participate in events that connect them to our plays' cultural and historical contexts. These community-building conversations and experiences provide fresh insights and novel perspectives, leading to a deepened understanding and celebration of our shared humanity. Friday, December 6 Join us on Friday, December 6 for Educator Appreciation Night at Eureka Day! Starting at 6:45 PM, ticketholders with a valid educator ID will be welcomed into the Solomon lounge before the curtains rise for a night of laughs, entertainment, and special surprises. It's a toast to our educators! Sunday, January 12 Purchase a ticket and join us after the 2:00 pm performance on Sunday, January 12 for an intimate conversation moderated by ABC Audio's Start Here podcast host Brad Mielke. Guests to be announced at a later date. Tickets are on sale now at Telecharge.com. Subscriptions for MTC's 2024-25 season are available by visiting www.manhattantheatreclub.com/join, or by calling the MTC Clubline at 212-399-3050. MTC's 2024-25 Season MTC's 2024-25 Broadway season also features the premieres of The Hills of California by Jez Butterworth, directed by Sam Mendes at the Broadhurst Theatre (235 West 44th Street); and Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends, produced in association with CMI and Daryl Roth, starring Bernadette Peters and Lea Salonga, music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim , devised by Cameron Mackintosh, with choreography by Stephen Mear, musical staging and direction by Matthew Bourne, side by side with Julia McKenzie, at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre (261 West 47th Street). MTC's remaining Off-Broadway season includes the world premiere of Bad Kreyòl by two-time Tony Award nominee Dominique Morisseau (Skeleton Crew at MTC, Ain't Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations), directed by Tiffany Nichole Greene (Covenant) in a co-production with Signature Theatre at the Pershing Square Signature Center (480 West 42nd Street); the world premiere of Dakar 2000 by Pulitzer Prize finalist and two-time Obie Award winner Rajiv Joseph (Broadway: Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo; Off-Broadway: King James at MTC, Guards at the Taj, Describe the Night) and directed by May Adrales (Vietgone and Poor Yella Rednecks at MTC) at NY City Center Stage I (151 West 55th Street); and the world premiere of We Had A World by Tony Award nominee Joshua Harmon (Broadway: Prayer for the French Republic at MTC, Bad Jews, Significant Other) and directed by Tony Award nominee Trip Cullman (Choir Boy at MTC, Lobby Hero, Murder Ballad at MTC, Six Degrees of Separation). ABOUT MANHATTAN THEATRE CLUB Under the leadership of Artistic Director Lynne Meadow and Executive Director Chris Jennings, Manhattan Theatre Club produces seasons of new work for the theatre both on and Off-Broadway, and in the 2023-24 season, all three of its Broadway shows were nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play, representing three of the five nominees in the category. MTC's not-for-profit mission, which Meadow created in 1972 and has implemented over five decades of award-winning productions, is to develop and present new work in a dynamic, supportive environment; to identify and collaborate with the most promising new as well as accomplished artists; and to produce a diverse repertoire of innovative, entertaining, and thought-provoking plays and musicals by American and international playwrights. Since 1989, MTC Learning and Community Engagement, which uses the power of live theatre and playwriting to awaken minds, ignite imaginations, open hearts, and change lives, has also been an important corollary to MTC's work. MTC's over 600 world, American, New York and Broadway premieres have earned 7 Pulitzer Prizes, 30 Tony Awards, 51 Drama Desk Awards and 49 Obie Awards amongst many other honors. MTC has homes on Broadway at its Samuel J. Friedman Theatre and Off-Broadway at New York City Center. MTC is an anti-racist organization that respects and honors all voices and upholds the values of community and equity. For more information, please visit www.manhattantheatreclub.com. ABOUT THE ALFRED P. SLOAN FOUNDATION The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation is a New York-based, philanthropic, not-for-profit institution that makes grants for research in science, technology, and economics; quality and diversity of scientific institutions; and public engagement with science. Sloan's program in Public Understanding of Science and Technology, directed by Vice President and Program Director Doron Weber, supports books, radio, film, television, theatre, and new media to reach a wide, non-specialized audience and to bridge the two cultures of science and the humanities. The Foundation has an active theater program and commissions about 20 science plays each year from the Manhattan Theatre Club, Ensemble Studio Theatre, and the National Theatre in London while supporting select productions across the country and abroad. From David Auburn's Proof to Anchuli Felicia King's Golden Shield, Sloan has partnered with Manhattan Theatre Club to commission over 100 science-themed plays and produce ten productions on MTC's stages. Recent grants from Sloan's Theater Program have supported Lloyd Suh's Franklinland, Nelson Diaz-Marcano's Las Borinqueñas, Mark Rylance's Dr. Semmelweis, Mary Elizabeth Hamilton's Smart, Sam Chanse's what you are now, Charly Evon Simpson's Behind the Sheet, Lucy Kirkwood's Mosquitoes, Chiara Atik's Bump, Nick Payne's Constellations, Lucas Hnath's Isaac's Eye, Anna Ziegler's Photograph 51, Leigh Fondakowski's Spill, and Bess Wohl's Continuity, among others. For more information about the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, visit www.sloan.org or follow the Foundation on X, Instagram and Facebook at @SloanPublic. BIOGRAPHIES AMBER GRAY (Carina) originated roles in Sondheim's final musical Here We Are (album out now); Hadestown; Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812; Daniel Fish's Oklahoma!; and Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' An Octoroon. Other theatre gems include The Oyster Radio Hour, Rob Ashford's Jacques Brel…, Sam Gold's Macbeth and Taylor Mac's A 24-Decade History… Gray is a longtime member of the radical performance community Reverend Billy and The Stop Shopping Choir (Neil Young's 2024 Love Earth Tour opener and new album The Sun is a Star that Keeps Me Warm) and The TEAM (Mission Drift, Primer for a Failed Superpower, and Reconstruction). Other New Albums: Lin-Manuel Miranda and Eisa Davis' Warriors and Daniel Emond's Kill the Whale. TV/Film: "Long Bright River," Barry Jenkins' "Underground Railroad," Broadway cult favorites "The Gilded Age" and "Submissions Only," Ben Stiller's "Escape at Dannemora," Submission, Heartworm, Master, Where There's Smoke, Walden: Life in the Woods. MFA: NYU. JESSICA HECHT (Suzanne) last appeared on Broadway in MTC's Summer, 1976, receiving a Tony Award nomination. Additional Broadway credits include The Price, Fiddler on the Roof, The Assembled Parties, Harvey, After the Fall, The Last Night of Ballyhoo, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Julius Caesar, and A View from the Bridge (Tony nomination). Off-Broadway, she appeared in King Lear, Stage Kiss, Three Sisters, The Orchard, Letters from Max, and Admissions (Obie Award). Recent television appearances include "Special" (Emmy Award nomination), "Tokyo Vice," "The Sinner," "The Loudest Voice," "Dickinson," "The Boys," and "Succession." She is known to audiences for her roles in the beloved series "Friends" and "Breaking Bad." Her film performances include Anesthesia, J. Edgar, The Grey Zone, My Soul to Take, Dan in Real Life, Sideways, The Atlantic City Story, The Sunlit Night, and the recently completed Eleanor the Great directed by Scarlett Johansson. Jessica founded The Campfire Project, which brings arts programming to refugee camps worldwide. BILL IRWIN (Don) is an actor, director, writer, and clown. His original works include The Regard of Flight; Largely New York; Fool Moon; Old Hats; and The Happiness Lecture. Broadway: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?; The Goat; Waiting for Godot; The Iceman Cometh; Fool Moon; Largely New York ; Bye, Bye, Birdie. Off-Broadway: The Regard of Flight; Endgame; Old Hats; On Beckett (an evening of passages from the writings of Samuel Beckett). Television: "The Dropout;" "Elmo's World" (Mr. Noodle); "CSI;" "Legion;" "Law and Order SVU;" "New Amsterdam;" "Blue Bloods;" "Quarry." Film: Rustin; Rachel Getting Married; The Grinch Who Stole Christmas; Spoiler Alert; Interstellar; Eight Men Out; Stepping Out; Silent Tongue. He gratefully acknowledges the awards and fellowships that have allowed a life in the theatre. THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH (Eli) is best known for his starring role in Mike Judge's critically acclaimed HBO series, "Silicon Valley." Thomas' performance garnered him a 2016 Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, along with three Critics' Choice nominations for Best Actor in a Comedy Series. Thomas most recently starred opposite Annaleigh Ashford in the CBS comedy series, "B Positive," executive produced by Chuck Lorre, and he currently voices the lead in the animated Hulu series, "Solar Opposites." Thomas starred in Netflix's first-ever improv special, "Middleditch and Schwartz," based off of his nationally toured two-man improv show with Ben Schwartz. Film credits include: Zombieland: Double Tap, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Tag, and The Wolf of Wall Street. Additional TV credits include: "The Good Fight," "You're the Worst," and "Drunk History." CHELSEA YAKURA-KURTZ (Meiko) is a bicoastal theater, film, and television actress. In Los Angeles, she has originated roles such as Kat in the Steinberg Award-winning How the Light Gets In and Sei Shonagon in Unrivaled. She also recently played Elena in Pasadena Playhouse's Uncle Vanya as part of their Tony Award-winning season. Television work includes "Swarm" (Amazon Prime), "The Resident" (CBS), "The Flash" (CW), "Law & Order: SVU" (NBC), "Scandal" (ABC), "Longmire" (Netflix), "Station 19" (ABC) and "Magnum PI" (CBS). Recent film work includes Netflix's Mr. Harrigan's Phone , directed by John Lee Hancock. Shout out to her incredible agents at Artists & Representatives and beloved manager Nick Campbell at Venture Entertainment Partners, her awesome hubs and star of the family, Colin Bates, and her mama, the world's greatest cheerleader, Kristie Yakura. BFA: Boston University. This is her Broadway debut. JONATHAN SPECTOR (Playwright). Broadway debut. Plays include Eureka Day, This Much I Know, Best Available, and Good. Better. Best. Bested., and Birthright. His work has been produced across the country and abroad with theaters including The Old Vic/Sonia Friedman Productions, Aurora Theatre, Colt Coeur, Syracuse Stage, Asolo Rep, Hampstead Theatre, Theater J, Shotgun Players, InterAct, Mosaic Theater, Just Theater, and Vienna's Burgtheater. Awards: two Glickman Awards, two Bay Area Theater Critics Circle Awards, Edgerton Award, Theater Bay Area Award, Rella Lossy Award, WhatsOnStage Award nomination. Current commissions: Manhattan Theatre Club, Roundabout, La Jolla Playhouse, and Miami New Drama. Jonathan lives in Oakland, California, and is a graduate of the tragically besieged New College of Florida. For Molly, who cheers when the other team scores. ANNA D. SHAPIRO (Director) is a Tony Award-winning director and served as Artistic Director of Steppenwolf Theatre Company from 2014 to 2021, where she remains an ensemble member. She joined the Steppenwolf ensemble in 2005 and was awarded the 2008 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play for August: Osage County (Steppenwolf, Broadway, London). She was nominated in 2011 in the same category for The Motherf**ker with the Hat (Public Theater, Labyrinth Theater). Other Steppenwolf directing credits include the world premiere production of The Minutes (also on Broadway); Mary Page Marlowe, Visiting Edna, Three Sisters, A Parallelogram, Up, The Crucible, The Unmentionables (also at Yale Repertory Theatre), The Pain and the Itch (also in New York), I Never Sang for My Father, The Man from Nebraska, Purple Heart (also in Galway, Ireland), The Drawer Boy, Side Man (also in Ireland, Australia and Vail, Colorado), Three Days of Rain, The Infidel and This Is Our Youth (which transferred to Broadway). Additional Broadway credits include Of Mice and Men (with James Franco) and Fish in the Dark (with Larry David), and Off-Broadway Domesticated (Lincoln Center Theater). Shapiro is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama and Columbia. She is a professor in Northwestern University's Department of Theatre. PRODUCTION ASSETS PRODUCTION INFORMATION Eureka Day By Jonathan Spector Directed by Anna D. Shapiro With Amber Gray, Jessica Hecht, Bill Irwin, Thomas Middleditch, Chelsea Yakura-Kurtz Manhattan Theatre Club Previews November 25, 2024 Opening Night December 16, 2024 On Broadway at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, 261 West 47th Street WEBSITE & SOCIAL MEDIA Website: www.manhattantheatreclub.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/MTC_NYC Facebook: www.facebook.com/ManhattanTheatreClub X: x.com/mtc_NYC Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mtc-nyc.bsky.social YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/mtcbroadway |
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