DOWAGIAC — A romantic comedy is coming to the stage at Southwestern Michigan College this month.

SMC will present its fall play, “The Siegel,” at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 25 to 26 in the theatre of the Dale A. Lyons Building on the Dowagiac campus. Performances are free, though donations to benefit visual and performing arts student groups are appreciated, organizers said.

Michael Mitnick’s romantic comedy premiered in 2017 in Costa Mesa, California, with a cast that included Ben Feldman of “Superstore” and “Mad Men” and Meryl Streep’s daughter, Mamie Gummer. The title is word play on Anton Chekov’s “The Seagull.”

The play follows Ethan Siegel (Cody Adkins, of Edwardsburg High School), who  is in love. Tonight, he is going to ask Alice’s (MerCelia Peterson, Lakeshore High School) parents for her hand in marriage.

Trouble is, they broke up two years ago, and she is in a serious relationship with Nelson (Joshua Bennett, Berrien Springs High School). But Ethan is undaunted. He needs to go back to move forward.

Director Tucker Curtis’ compact cast also includes Allie Garrison, of Portage, and Jonathan Wilson, of South Bend, as Alice’s parents, Deborah and Ron, and Tory Gage, of Centreville, as Jordan.

“It struck us as clever and original,” said Curtis, who recommended Mitnick’s play. Curtis, who directed SMC’s “Our Town” in 2016, studied theatre performance at the University of Memphis. His wife, Heidi Ferris, teaches voice at SMC.

Marcus Roll’s background is more in musical theatre.

“[The play] had me chuckling in spots as I read through it,” he said. “It’s a good fit because we’ve got students who can play the roles. Last year, we did a variety show [“Scenes from the Station”]. My plan is to rotate in something different every year.”

Roll, SMC manager of theatre operations and applied performing arts, is producing the play and serving as technical director. Roll is overseeing light design, set design with Curtis and set construction with Michael Hayes from Three Rivers. Christianna Schommer, of Dowagiac, is stage manager.

Adkins played FBI agent Carl Hanratty in July’s SMC Summer Institute Musical Theatre Camp presentation of “Catch Me If You Can.” The biology major hopes to transfer to Ferris State University for the pharmacy program.

Peterson, who has sung in Select Voices, Concert Choir and Women’s Ensemble, was recruited by Director of Choral Activities David Carew. The saxophonist played guitar at Diversity Week last December and accompanied herself on piano for “Scenes from the Station.”

After obtaining her associate degree, she wants to transfer to Michigan State University for a bachelor’s degree in chemistry.

“I want to be a lab technician in the medical field,” Peterson said. “Once I have a stable job, I would go back for my musical education degree. College is expensive, and SMC offers a lot of really good programs at an affordable price.”

“This is the smallest cast I’ve been in,” she added. “It’s really nice because you get to know everybody.”

Garrison, variety show co-mistress of ceremonies, sings in Select Voices.

“[I haven’t] done a straight play since senior year of high school in the spring of 2018, so it’s kind of exciting to get back into one. I mostly do musicals [such as “Catch Me If You Can],” he said.

The SMC music major plans to transfer to a four-year university to major in vocal performance and minor in theatre.

“My dream is to do theatre as a career,” said Garrison, who attended Vicksburg High School, but graduated in Minnesota.

Bennett graduated from SMC with an associate degree May 4 and joined the college’s information technology staff.

“I started in computers and went into music,” the trumpet player said. “I’m going to get my bachelor’s degree from Ferris with a dual major in computer science and music industry business.”