Interview with Jenna Russell, Eureka Day at Nottingham Playhouse
Conducted by Emmie for Theatre and Tonic
This autumn, the Nottingham Playhouse hosts the regional premiere of Eureka Day, Jonathan Spector’s Tony Award-winning, razor-sharp comedy. Ahead of the production’s eagerly anticipated run from 25 October, we caught up with acclaimed actress Jenna Russell, known for her recent roles in The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and Hello, Dolly!, as she spoke with Theatre and Tonic about this timely and thought-provoking play.
The cast of Eureka Day in rehearsals. Photo by Pamela Raith
1. You have an extensive career in theatre, so what was it about Eureka Day that made you want to be a part of it?
I was kind of looking for a bit of downtime ahead of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry’s upcoming West End transfer, to be honest. However, when the script came through on my emails, I thought I would give it a read, but honestly, I was howling with laughter. I never do that at the kitchen table, and I just told my other half that I have to do it, it’s too good. I was also curious about how an audience would respond to it. It’s such a clever play and so very, very funny. It’s wonderful and that’s why I chose to do it.
2. You play the character of Suzanne. Tell us about her and how you developed her during the course of the rehearsal process.
You don’t have to think about these things too much when something is so well written like this play is. It’s very self-evident what kind of woman Suzanne is. I always think you have to attach as much of yourself to a role as possible to make it really realistic. She’s an amalgamation of myself, the really good writing and a few friends of mine in my real life who have a similar outlook on life.
3. Have any of your previous roles helped to shape this character..
I don’t think so, apart from the fact she’s American, that’s about it. I love doing comedy so it’s nice to sit in that world again because I have been very in the sad world for the last couple of years. I’m relishing the idea of feeling that, having that relationship you have with this style and the script allowing you to do that.
The cast of Eureka Day in rehearsals. Photo by Pamela Raith
4. Can you tell our readers about Eureka Day itself and what is it about?
I didn’t know about the play at all, but it was written in 2018. Our writer, Jonathan, had no idea that years later we were about to enter into this pandemic when he was creating this work. It’s set at a very progressive elementary school in California, so everyone’s PC, everyone’s very welcoming of all types of conversation. Then there’s the executive committee, which is peopled with parents, mostly, the headmaster, called Don and Suzanne. Suzanne was kind of a founding member of the school, and their principals are in her lifeblood.
A situation occurs where someone gets mumps in the school community, and you realise that half of the children aren’t vaccinated against it. Then our play explores how we deal with that. How does this kind of community deal with the vaccination debate? You have some brilliantly conceived ideas, and it’s really funny. I’m really excited to see how Eureka Day plays out with a live audience.
5. Although it is a comedic piece, there are some very relatable and relevant conversations within it, aren’t they?
I think the audience will absolutely recognise some of the people in this play and definitely have more relevance after experiencing the pandemic. The play was on Broadway last season and won Best Revival. It was a massive hit. This is probably because people now can look at it and go, oh my goodness. We were all in this situation, we all have these conversations, and you’ll recognise the pitfalls of taking sides. It’s just a load of people trying hard to do the right thing and failing.
6. Eureka Day is a new piece with UK audiences as we say. So, are there any challenges for you as an actor when working on such a new piece?
In a way. I mean, whilst this is a relatively new play, we’re not dealing with rewrites because that has been dealt with by past casts. I think what's interesting about our play is that it's set in one room on various days. It's so much about the language, you know, the how people talk to each other, how people use body language. Because we're just sitting in a semi-circle, sometimes moving around, but not much. It's all about the interplay between these characters and how they negotiate each other. That's fascinating.
Eureka Day doesn’t have massive choreography or movement, and it’s not about dealing with big set pieces. Luckily, we’re able to just really concentrate on the dialogue which is so good.
7. What has been the best part about working on this show..
I’m working with an old friend of mine, which is lovely, and I’ve really enjoyed working with the director James Grieve. We’ve never worked together, but I think he’s terrific. James has a great calmness about him, and he really allows us to find our way, but steers us very beautifully, and sometimes that relationship can be tricky. Sometimes you can have very different ideas from your director. But he runs a room which is calm and fun, but he has an understanding that sometimes actors need to be a bit silly. It’s part of the process. It’s part of getting over nerves and fears.
8. Why should people make a visit to Nottingham for Eureka Day this Autumn..
If you want to watch a play that makes you really laugh, then this production will absolutely make you laugh. Perhaps it will bring a tear to your eye because the characters reveal stuff about themselves that you don’t quite expect.
Eureka Day will play at Nottingham Playhouse from 25 October - 15 November 2025.
