EUREKA DAY to Open Blackfriars Theatre's 77th Season

Blackfriars Theatre will kick off its 26/27 season with Eureka Day, running September 10th-20th. At the ultra-progressive Eureka Day School in Berkeley, California, every decision is made by consensus. But when a mumps outbreak makes its way through the student body, the school's carefully cultivated culture of inclusiveness spirals into chaos. As parents and board members clash over vaccines, personal freedoms, and viral misinformation, a community built on open-minded ideals implodes, posing one of the defining questions of our time: how do you build a consensus when no one can agree on the truth?

Leading the charge for this production is former Blackfriars artistic director, Danny Hoskins. “This is a perfect play for our current climate,” says Hoskins. “On the surface it may seem simply like a heated discussion about vaccines and the medical choices we make for our kids. But great plays are always struggling with so much more BELOW the surface. Eureka Day cuts right to the heart of us as a community and poses questions about our responsibilities as human beings: How do you balance this line without compromising your personal beliefs and values? In a time where there is 'too much information' swirling all around us, who do you choose to trust? And what happens when parents are simply trying to do their best for their children while terrified that their best isn't good enough?”

This enthusiasm for timely storytelling is echoed throughout the organization. “One of the reasons we were so passionate about putting this play in our current season is that its themes are so essential to the national conversation right now,” says Blackfriars artistic director, Brynn Tyszka. “In fact, Eureka Day recently made national headlines as the first production to be scrapped from the Kennedy Center lineup in 2025. Some entities strive to bury conflicting viewpoints, but at Blackfriars Theatre, we believe that the arts have a responsibility not just to hold up a mirror to society, but also to push conversations forward and ask patrons to look at tricky ideas through a different lens. This script does a beautiful job of taking us out of our comfort zones and asking us to consider what we think we know while doing it in the most empathetic (and hilarious) way possible!”

Blackfriars Theatre provides an intimate theatre-going experience, with 126 seats in a wraparound configuration—audiences are never more than thirty feet from an actor on stage. Because of the limited seating, it is recommended that patrons purchase their tickets early to ensure availability. Audiences can see Eureka Day at Blackfriars Theatre from September 10th-20th.

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