Acclaimed film, television, and Broadway actor Jeff Daniels has a special connection to the Michigan theater community. He’s the founder and artistic director of The Purple Rose Theatre Company in Chelsea, where he grew up. And now, his new workplace comedy “Office Christmas Party, Grinch In Fight With Rudolph, Police Called,” makes its world debut on the theater’s stage. The play runs through Dec. 22, 2024. 

“Office Christmas Party” was inspired by a real-life news headline, which Daniels later paraphrased. The headline grabbed Daniels’ imagination, and he developed it into a wholly fictional story about a struggling Michigan fudge company that suddenly finds itself the subject of a viral video sensation when a disagreement between two costumed employees at the company holiday party spirals out of control. 

Daniels founded The Purple Rose in 1991 to cultivate theater talent in Michigan. During the theater’s 33-year history, he has debuted more than 20 of his original plays there.

One Detroit’s Chris Jordan caught up with Daniels to discuss the new play, his creative process and how professional experiences inspired The Purple Rose Theatre Company’s vital approach to developing original plays. Daniels also talks about the art of writing for Michigan audiences, and his desire for plays at The Purple Rose to speak directly to the state’s communities, telling stories that will resonate with them and make them laugh. Plus, he shares a preview of the theater’s upcoming 2024-2025 season.