Michigan's favorite renaissance man, Jeff Daniels, will premiere his latest play, focused on the Flint water crisis, in early 2018.
Simply titled "Flint," the play is set to open in January at the Purple Rose Theatre Company, which Daniels founded in his hometown of Chelsea in 1991.
Daniels, an actor, musician and playwright, said the play doesn't look to necessarily cast blame, but instead to examine the crisis.
"It looks at what happened and asks questions about why it happened," he said.
According to the play's synopsis, "'Flint' is the heartfelt and brutally honest story of two couples struggling to endure and believe in the American dream."
Daniels said the play is set in 2014, the year Flint switched its water source from Lake Huron water provided by Detroit to water from the Flint River. When the switch was made, state regulators did not require the Flint River water to be treated to reduce its corrosive qualities. Ultimately, lead from plumbing and pipes leached into the water supply.
- See MLive's full coverage of the Flint water crisis
The world-premiere run of "Flint" is scheduled for Jan. 18 through March 10. Tickets go on sale Dec. 11 at purplerosetheatre.org.
Daniels said in our current world, news events like the Flint water crisis only grab the attention of the public momentarily before they turn their focus to the next story. His goal is to help people remember the crisis.
"It's certainly written to remind people that it happened and it isn't fixed yet," he said. "You can't forget about things like Flint."
Other plays written by Daniels include "Across the Way," "Guest Artist" and "Escanaba in da Moonlight," which was adapted into a film starring and directed by Daniels.