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²ÝÁñÉçÇø arts aficionados accustomed to Grace Phillips singing might be surprised by her dramatic turn in the Nov. 20-23 fall play, “Red Days.”

The Edwardsburg graduate sings in Collegiate Chorale, Choral Scholars and Uccelli Canori — every SMC vocal group but Men’s Ensemble.

She juggled four parts in “Shrek: The Musical” (teen Fiona, blue-wigged Fairy Godmother, a tap-dancing rat and a yellow-wigged do-wop dancer). She expects to audition for Charlie Brown’s sister, Sally, in the spring musical.

Phillips plays Dianna, an asthmatic athlete, in Rachel Bublitz’s “Red Days,” trying to balance high school, running and her relationship with her mother Connie (Grace Bruntz).

“This play is unique, unlike anything I’ve been part of, with an important message,” Phillips said.

Surprisingly, the Niles resident isn’t a music major, but pursues an associate degree in agricultural technology through Michigan State to ultimately grow blueberries and flowers.

“I’ve done choir since seventh grade and started theater my junior year,” Phillips said. “Choir and theater are passions I’ll continue.
“I worked at Stover’s in Berrien Springs last summer. They grow blueberries, apples, peaches and grapes. That showed me what a fruit farm is like. I also used to work at a flower shop. I would want to be a florist supplier. 
“I came to SMC after the amazing choir came to my high school on the year-end tour.”

For the inauguration of SMC’s BlackBox Series, a “black box” will be created onstage with curtains, walling off auditorium seats. The audience will sit onstage on platforms on three sides of the actors.

Director Dakota Fontes, SMC’s theatre technician, said, “Red Days takes place in a world where they use colors to index air quality. Almost every day is red. They even have purple and black days.

“This show highlights the lack of communication from talking past each other. There are toxic black particles in the air, but our words are poison, too, if we don’t listen.”

Fontes began acting more than two decades ago at 9. He grew up in Iowa, earned an associate degree in Arizona and bachelor’s degrees from Western Michigan University in acting with a directing emphasis and in lighting.

Fontes’ compact cast also includes Nick Shelton of Berrien Springs as Dianna’s boyfriend, Andrew, and Ollie Shafer of Dowagiac as Leona the radio host.

Bruntz, a vocal major, wants to pursue music therapy at a university and continue performing on the side.

She found SMC when Director of Choral Activities David Carew came to Penn High School to sing. “That moved me so much.”

Born and raised in Mishawaka, Bruntz lives in Osceola. She did color guard for almost 10 years and acted in church plays.

“I’ve always had a drive for performing,” she said. She appeared in Shrek as a variety of characters, including Mama Bear and Mama Ogre.

Connie “is by far the most complex character I’ve played and probably will for a while, for good reason,” Bruntz said. “Connie at her first layer can be seen as a narcissistic mother and coach who has to have it her way or the whole world falls apart.

“She’s also a single mom, trying to get the school board to not put her out on her butt, getting Dianna to a college Connie picks for her, of course.

“You’ll find yourself relating to Connie as we find out more about her, just as I have. Connie represents people in our society who think, ‘If it’s not happening to me, why should I be worried?’ That’s huge, to be able to play a character like that and to shed light on that thought process. That’s truly an actor’s dream. This is an astonishing play!”

Shelton graduated from Berrien Springs High School last spring and got interested in theater on the “Little Women” stage crew as a freshman.

“I want to broaden my horizons because I’ve only ever been in musicals,” Shelton, a vocal music major, said. “This is a first step because I want to be an actor. Andrew is a hopeless romantic and has never played a sport in his life. He goes out for cross country to follow the pretty girl. My professional plan is to be a musical-theater actor. After SMC, I’d like to move on to Western or U-M.”

Shafer, who joined Collegiate Chorale last year, has been doing shows for nine years, since she was 11, including at Dowagiac’s Beckwith Theatre.

“This is my first time acting,” the alto said. “I helped with makeup for Shrek.” The communications major’s career aspiration is music management.

“I felt very drawn to programs SMC provides after coming in as a community member last year,” Shafer said. “This show needs to be done at this point in time. Environmental activism is important to me.”

Rounding out the cast and crew are: understudies, Chloe Thomas, Kynna Harrison and Ben Plested; stage manager Tammy Mammel, assisted by Cherish Conine; Fontes, lighting designer, assisted by PJ Fraczek; costume designer, Megan Laine; run crew, David Marlowe and Payton Tucker; light board, Anthony Martinez; sound board, Eileen Perez; sound development, Gavin Dibble; technicians, Lucian Preston, Mikaylah Pease and Kynna Harrison; and marketing, Mikaylah Pease and Lucian Preston.

“Red Days” will be presented free to the public Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Nov. 20-23 at 7:30 p.m. and at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 23, in the theatre of the Dale A. Lyons Building.