Jeff Daniels kicks off unplugged summer concert series at Purple Rose

Acclaimed actor Jeff Daniels is going "unplugged" for a series of concerts this summer at his Purple Rose Theatre Company in Chelsea.

The "Jeff Daniels Onstage & Unplugged Summer Series" will include three performances — one at 7:30 p.m. June 26, another at 7:30 p.m. July 3 and a third at 7:30 p.m. July 10. Tickets are $85 and went on sale at 1 p.m. June 14. And they won't last long, said Purple Rose on its Instagram page.

The concerts are being held as Daniels has stepped in to take a more active role at his theater company, which he founded in his hometown of Chelsea in 1991. The highly regarded regional theater is housed in a what was once a used car and bus garage once owned by Daniels' grandfather.

Earlier this year, Daniels was named the theater's new artistic director after its previous longtime director, Guy Sanville, stepped down amid allegations of creating a toxic workplace. He'd been with the Purple Rose for more than 25 years.

The theater's new leadership structure includes Daniels, working alongside three artistic associates: Rachel Keown Burke, Lucas Daniels and Rhiannon Ragland. Lucas Daniels is Jeff's son.

"Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Ghost Machine," a world premiere by David MacGregor, is now playing at the Purple Rose through Aug. 27.

mfeighan@detroitnews.com