This November, Harbor Theatrics proudly presents Guest Artist by Jeff Daniels, running November 13–22, 2026. Set in a small Ohio town, this thoughtful and deeply human comedy-drama follows Joseph Harris, a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright whose unexpected arrival at a community theatre changes the lives of everyone around him. As he reluctantly mentors a passionate group of local artists, long-held dreams, artistic insecurities, and the true meaning of creating theatre come to the surface. Filled with humor, honesty, and heart, Guest Artist is a moving tribute to the transformative power of storytelling and the people who dedicate themselves to bringing it to life. It's a play that reminds us that great art isn't about where you come from—it's about the connections we make along the way.
The Story
Guest Artist
By Jeff Daniels
A winter storm strands Joseph Harris, a brilliant but deeply cynical Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, in the small town of Steubenville, Ohio, where he has reluctantly agreed to serve as a guest artist at a local theatre. Battling alcoholism, haunted by his past, and convinced the American theatre has lost its way, Joseph wants nothing more than to catch the next train home.
Waiting for him is Kenneth Waters, an idealistic young playwright who has spent years idolizing Joseph and dreams of earning his approval. Over the course of one extraordinary evening, the two men engage in a series of sharp, funny, and deeply personal conversations about art, ambition, success, failure, and the responsibility artists have to tell the truth. As Joseph's hardened worldview collides with Kenneth's youthful optimism, each man is forced to confront his own fears, disappointments, and hopes for the future.
By turns hilarious, poignant, and thought-provoking, Guest Artist is an intimate exploration of mentorship, legacy, and the creative process. Jeff Daniels' deeply personal play asks what it means to devote a life to art—and whether greatness is measured by awards and acclaim, or by the lives we inspire along the way. It is a moving tribute to playwrights, storytellers, and the enduring power of the American theatre.
The Playwright
Jeff Daniels is an award-winning actor, playwright, musician, and founder of Michigan's acclaimed Purple Rose Theatre Company. While internationally recognized for his work in film, television, and on Broadway, Daniels has also built an impressive career as a playwright, writing numerous original plays that celebrate the humor, heart, and complexity of everyday American life.
A native of Michigan, Daniels founded the Purple Rose Theatre Company in 1991 with the mission of producing new American plays and nurturing the voices of contemporary playwrights. Since then, he has written more than a dozen plays, including Escanaba in da Moonlight, Apartment 3A, The Meaning of Almost Everything, M-39, and Guest Artist. His work is known for its authentic characters, sharp dialogue, wit, and deep affection for small-town America.
As an actor, Daniels has earned two Primetime Emmy Awards, multiple Golden Globe, SAG, and Tony Award nominations, and has appeared in countless acclaimed productions including The Newsroom, The Purple Rose of Cairo, Gettysburg, The Squid and the Whale, Good Night, and Good Luck, Godless, and To Kill a Mockingbird on Broadway.
Through both his acting and writing, Daniels has become one of America's most respected storytellers, creating works that are at once humorous, heartfelt, and profoundly human. Guest Artist reflects his lifelong passion for theatre and his belief in the transformative power of storytelling.