“Eureka Day”: What If the People with Whom You Passionately Disagree Are Not Villains?

Aug 29, 2019 by Two Sues On the Aisle

By Susan L. Rosenbluth and Sue Weston – Two Sues on the Aisle

In the hands of most modern playwrights, the subject matter handled in Eureka Day, a new play both hysterically funny and deeply profound, would have been a sendup of all things politically conservative, including parental rights versus government diktats and clandestine bigotry in an upscale, would-be liberal community.

But most playwrights are not Jonathan Specter, whose very important work, now playing for a limited run through September 21 at Walkerspace in Tribeca, does not shrink from presenting both sides of not only one of the most pressing problems in the Jewish community—childhood vaccinations—but also allowing it to stand as a metaphor for other, equally sensitive issues.

Eureka Day is a private Berkeley, California-based elementary school in which “diversity” and “inclusion” are “valued,” and all administrative decisions are made on the basis of consensus by an executive committee, consisting of three long-time parents, one new parent (whose slot is secured by consensus), and the beloved, determinedly nonconfrontational, “I’m okay-you’re okay” principal, called by his first name, Don, by parents and students alike.

As long as the issues are comparatively banal, such as lauding the fact that the school’s soccer team cheers when the other side scores a goal or that Peter Pan’s “colonialist issues” can be circumvented by setting the play in outer space, things work swimmingly. No one, least of all Don, sees anything in this that would call for a dissenting opinion, but, if there were, rest assured, Don, played by Thomas Ray Ryan as the kind of fellow who would be welcome in any circle, would be sure to tell the rebel that his or her judgment is highly valued.

Set in a non-specific classroom, this ensemble piece opens with a meeting of the board, and, from the very beginning, the only member of the audience who would not know these characters is someone who has never sat through a meeting of any kind. Mr. Spector knows them as well as we do, down to Eli (Brian Wiles), the oh-so-laid-back, married-but-on-the-make, stay-at-home dad who agrees with the school’s policy of allowing all parents to “self-identify” the racial/religious/gender group to which they belong, unless, of course, the parent wishes to specify “Jewish” instead of “white.”

The opening meeting was prompted by a letter Don received from the California Department of Health informing him that an outbreak of mumps in the school must be addressed, probably by mandating vaccines. At Eureka Day, mandating anything seems to be anathematic, and the issue of vaccines has always been left to the discretion of individual parents, many of whom have decided to opt out. The person who might try to enforce such a mandate, or even suggest it, could become a pariah at the school.

The solution, the group gleefully decides—by consensus—is to hold a virtual townhall, with the board meeting in actual time, and the parent body invited to participate via Facebook Live. The result is one of the funniest scenes ever shown anywhere. The laughter of recognition is almost impossible to suppress, and credit must go to director, Adrienne Campbell-Holt, for regulating the pace of the written comments by the parent body participants so that the dialogue can be heard over the roars.

But there is a deeper meaning to the vitriol expressed by the parents: Despite the school’s best efforts, in this day and age, there is no guarantee of respect when the issue is more important than a soccer game or a play. Parents sitting in their gatkes feel comfortable calling people with whom they disagree the kinds of names for which children, at a different time, would have had their mouths washed out with soap. Did someone think life at Eureka was based on values or mutual respect?

No sooner has the raucous board meeting cum townhall ended than Mr. Spector raises the ante. It’s no longer a theoretical problem when Eli’s son is hospitalized with mumps, and the prognosis, while not lethal, is unknown. The child may be left permanently deaf.

As an increasing number of Eureka children afflicted with the wildly infectious disease is reported, the board realizes its dearly beloved school is in danger. Parents who want all children at the school to be vaccinated will leave if they are not; parents who believe with an ardency rivaling religious faith (in a community in which traditional religion seems to be frowned upon) that inoculations are dangerous will withdraw their children before they allow anyone to shoot unknown poisons into their bodies.  

How can a school be run by consensus when there is no consensus? And how about the bills that must be paid?

It would be easy for Mr. Spector to side with the mainstream parents—and the board of health—who demand vaccines. It would be easy for him to demonize the parents who don’t want anything to do with vaccines. But, despite the lampooning of so much of modern life in this play, Mr. Spector’s generosity of spirit is too great for any easy answers.

In a rare moment of lucidity, when he is not spouting aphorisms about how to “frame” arguments or explaining anything the parents approve of as a deeply held “value,” Don makes a dramatic plea to remember that there are no villains here. When presented with the dilemma of what is best for society or what is best for one’s own child and family, it is the rare individual who will not act in favor of his or her own best interests.

Equally important is the concept, presented by Meiko (K.K. Moggie), a parent whose unvaccinated child might have been one of the first in the school to contract the disease, that all those who think they know what is best must bear in mind that science keeps changing, and what was recommended one year is forbidden the next. Hubris is, by definition, dangerous.

The writing in Eureka Day is so good, so beautifully crafted that it is hard to imagine that some of the monologues, particularly that delivered by Suzanne (Tina Benko), will not find their way into the cannon used by students. It would be so easy for Suzanne to be reduced to a caricature, an earnest, prancing, uber would-be liberal who is not above making hurtful comments and then apologizing for them in a way that she obviously believes is sincere but which might make the target wonder.

But Suzanne has a backstory in her baggage, as do they all, and, by the end, no, they are not mere caricatures. And, neither, it is safe to say, are the unseen individuals who make up the parent body.

If you don’t know where Walkerspace (46 Walker Street, two blocks south of Canal Street, between Broadway and Church) is, put it in your GPS and see this play. It will be shown Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays and Mondays at 7pm, until September 21. For tickets, go to  https://www.coltcoeur.org/eureka-day.

If people leave Eureka Day with the possibility of believing that even those with whom they disagree—politically, religiously, philosophically—are not villains, but, rather, individuals who really are worthy of respect, Mr. Spector will have accomplished more with this play than most authors can in a lifetime.

***

By Sue Weston

In Eureka Day, author Jonathan Spector brilliantly pokes fun at the dynamics of group decision making.

The Eureka Day school is a progressive environment where gender-neutral pronouns are used, and Peter Pan is set in outer space to avoid colonialist issues. While the school outwardly values respect, inclusion, and individualism, the board is pushed past the members’ group and individual limits to reach consensus about requiring immunizations to deal with a mumps outbreak. 

The questions with which Mr. Spector has his board grapple are: How can these parents put the welfare of their children above the community? Can the board of directors reach a consensus decision when there are no absolute facts? 

The personalities presented on stage are so familiar. We have all been in meetings where outward smiles hide and civility masks individual agendas. Suzanne (Tina Benko) bulldozers over the conversation insisting she doesn’t want to put words in anyone’s mouth, but her fellow board member, Meiko (K.K. Moggie) cuts in “I find the best way not to put words in someone’s mouth is not to put words in their mouth.”

Meanwhile, Eli (Brian Wiles), a stay-at-home dad, continuously bounces over everyone to have his points heard. Carina (Elizabeth Carter) the newest member of the board, represents the perspective of a freshman parent at the school who must gradually adjust to the group’s dynamics.

The pace of the dialogue is fast, and Mr. Spector’s sharp wit and perfect timing thoroughly engages the audience.

The funniest scene is a virtual community meeting where Don (Thomas Jay Ryan), the conflict-averse principal, attempts to discuss options for re-opening the school after the mumps outbreak. The parents are distracted, holding side-conversations on Facebook which continually go off-topic. The session terminates in vicious name-calling as a frustrated Don slams the computer closed, ending the dialogue. 

Eureka Day uses humor to explore serious issues including vaccinations, promoting unconditional acceptance and inclusion, ethnic stereotyping, and societal standards.  Mr. Spector exposes the difficulty of being inclusive and open to other points of view, even when you believe those ideas are fundamentally wrong.

Great entertainment!  Off-Broadway at its best.

***

Two Sues on the Aisle bases its ratings on how many challahs it pays to buy (rather than make) in order to see the play, show, film, or exhibit being reviewed.

Eureka Day received 5 Challahs from both Sues.