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Eureka Day ran October 24–November 9, 2025, at Riverside Theatre. Read our interview below with director Kathleen Johnson and Riverside Producing Artistic Director Adam Knight as they discuss bringing this sharply funny and deeply human comedy to life.
One of the first things audience members notice when they walk into the theatre is the amazing set. Can you speak about the design process and what led to the visual elements that make this production so distinctive?
Kathleen Johnson: Oh this set fills me with so much joy! In my initial conversations with our set designer, Tyler Salow, we both agreed that we wanted the audience to feel completely immersed in the world of the play – we wanted everyone to walk in and feel like they were visiting a well-loved and lived-in children’s library. We got there by sourcing as many real materials as we could find…you can’t really get away with fake books and adult furnitur and art. We worked closely with the Iowa City Public Library, who let us borrow discarded books that will be re-donated after the production, and with the Iowa City Community School District, who loaned us the small tables and chairs. Additionally, about 90% of the drawings on the walls are from my own kids – years of art class projects that haven’t made it onto our walls at home. The bright colors and playful details make the space feel like a world built for children—a place where the adults sometimes forget how to act like adults. I am so impressed with Tyler’s ability to give us such a fully-realized space.
There is so much positive energy in the room despite the conflict in the text. How did you and the actors work to create the world of the play and the relationships between these characters?
KJ: I’m lucky to have an amazing ensemble of actors that clicked right from the start. We used a lot of improv and character/backstory conversations to build a shared sense of history and connection between them. Throughout rehearsal, we kept reminding ourselves that these people care deeply about their community and their children, even when they disagree. These are people who genuinely love each other and believe in consensus. When we hold on to that truth, it’s much easier to see them as three-dimensional humans—and to love them, even when we don’t necessarily like what they’re saying or doing.
This play hits on a lot of “hot topic” issues: vaccines, parental choices, alternative medicine. Things that have become even more politicized in the age of Robert F. Kennedy and MAHA. Can you speak a little about how the production handles those and whether the play takes sides?
KJ: In many ways, the play feels even more relevant now than when it premiered in 2018. Jonathan Spector, the playwright, does a remarkable job of presenting a wide range of perspectives—while all the characters share a generally liberal worldview, none of them are reduced to a stereotype or a single belief. The play doesn’t hand us a clear answer about what’s right or wrong. Instead, it uses these issues as the vehicle for looking at the way to interact with others, make decisions for ourselves and our community. It’s a reminder that living together means we can’t always separate what we want as individuals from what we owe to each other as members of a larger community.
There is a scene at the end of Act One where the school board has a “community activated conversation” over Zoom. The comments from the viewers take on a life of their own. I don’t think I’ve ever heard an audience at Riverside laugh so hard! Can you speak about that scene and how you approach a moment in which so many threads are happening at once?
KJ: That scene is one of my absolute favorites…and it probably took up half of our total rehearsal time. There are so many moving parts: the Zoom comments projected behind the actors, the onstage dialogue amongst the characters, and the audience’s reactions happening in real time. In most comedic scenes, there’s a driving comedic force and those who support it. In this case, the projected comments are the driving force, which means our stage manager, Kelly Garrett—who is amazing and is responsible for controlling when each comment appears—is essentially another performer in the scene. What helps is that the play, and this scene in particular, is written so smartly. It anticipates where the audience’s attention will go. There are moments when the laughter is so loud you can’t hear the actors—and that’s been anticipated. The key story beats only emerge in the brief pauses between the chaos of the comments. It’s one of the hardest scenes I’ve ever directed, but also one of the most rewarding. Sitting in the theatre surrounded by that collective laughter is the best feeling there is.
In addition to the Robert E. Yager Charitable Trust, this play is sponsored by The University of Iowa College of Public Health, Dr. Natoshia & Dieter Askelson, and the organization Iowa Immunizes. How did that partnership take place and how has it affected the reach of the play and the dialogue surrounding it?
KJ: I’ve had a long relationship with the College of Public Health—my dad worked there for most of his career, and during graduate school I worked for Dr. Askelson on a statewide public health campaign. So when Riverside chose Eureka Day—even before I knew I’d be directing it—I immediately thought this partnership would be a natural fit. These conversations we see on stage about vaccines and community health aren’t abstract; they’re happening right here in Iowa City. Rates for Iowa students who are under- or un-immunized are up from previous years and, as one public health official put it, “It’s now easier to get a vaccine exemption than it is to obtain your child’s vaccination records.” Our partners at the College of Public Health and Iowa Immunizes are doing such important work to address that reality, and hosting a post-show panel with several of them on opening weekend was a powerful reminder of how much empathy and understanding are needed when we engage our neighbors in these difficult, deeply personal conversations.
This was your first time directing for Riverside! What’s one thing you will take with you from this production?
KJ: I honestly couldn’t have asked for a better experience. The creative team, the cast, and everyone at Riverside have been so generous, collaborative, and supportive from day one. It’s such a gift to work in a theatre that’s not only artistically ambitious but also personally nurturing—and Riverside really is that kind of place. And the audiences—wow. Every night, their laughter and engagement remind me how important comedy can be. It allows us to look at ourselves honestly—to see our blind spots, our contradictions, our longing to belong to something larger than ourselves. This whole experience has reminded me why I love doing this work—it’s funny, it’s hard, it’s human, and it leaves me feeling a little more hopeful about us.