Set near Salt Lake City, Red Days, the searing new play from Utah writer Rachel Bublitz, may sound like another entry in a long line of dystopian visions, but the climate forecast here isn't vague or distant. Instead, it's already happening.
In a story determined to find hope and perseverance in a precarious status quo, Red Days follows high school athlete Dianna and her overbearing coach, who is also her mother, as they attempt life-as-usual. There are gritty practices, first loves and summer internships, but as conditions worsen and designer masks can do only so much, Dianna must face the reality of her adolescence in Utah: the air is already killing her, and she and her generation must do everything possible to reverse the current trends.
Inspired by the already toxic air and chronic health conditions hovering over Utah, Red Days tells a local climate story that deserves global attention. New York audiences need only recall Canadian wildfires to remember that red can be both a warning and the color of our precious, threatened air.
