When you see people hauling trees across town, you don’t normally think, “Someone must be putting on a play!” But this is just the kind of barrier that Jeff Daniels has sought to break down with the “Escanaba” play trilogy he's written for the Purple Rose Theatre in Chelsea. The three plays work backward in time, focusing on the Soady family’s deer camp in the Upper Peninsula, and Daniels’ newest and final installment, “Escanaba,” is about to enjoy its world premiere (complete with a log-cabin set built with the aforementioned trees).

“It’s a real trilogy,” said director Guy Sanville. “The themes are similar, each one is a little mystical, they’re all very funny, and they’re all about ritual. … (‘Escanaba’) stands on its own, but if you know other plays, you’ll appreciate seeing the origins of all the Soady-isms, and why the cabin was built in the first place.”

One constant throughout the three plays is the presence of actor Wayne David Parker, who’s now portrayed three different men in the Negamanee family line. Consequently, he’s had to gauge what traits the characters should share while also making each man distinct.

“The first guy (in ‘Moonlight’) was wildly different from the other guys because of a UFO experience he supposedly had,” said Parker. “But for most part, I go with what’s in the script, and tie something together with all of them in some way, shape, or form.” The first play, a huge hit called “Escanaba in da Moonlight,” premiered at the Rose in 1995 and told a farcical hunting tale. The Rose sold out its original, extended run (and later revived it) and took the show to Detroit’s Gem Theater, where “Moonlight” then broke records by way of its long run and ticket sales. It eventually became a movie with Daniels in the lead (he does not act in the plays).

Did the original cast see the play's success coming? “No, not really,” said Parker. “Jeff’s shows were already pretty popular in the area, but we had no idea (‘Moonlight’) was going to escalate like it did. … (‘Moonlight’) set up a chain of opportunities for me, because it became such a cult thing. And it’s kind of neat to tie them all together now, because (‘Escanaba’) does.”

The second installment, “Escanaba in Love,” set in 1944, premiered in ’06 and focused on a young Soady man who impulsively marries before leaving to fight in World War II. And “Escanaba” takes place in 1922, when Alphonse Soady is putting the finishing touches on the Soady deer camp. Beyond that, the play’s story is being kept under wraps. “I think this is my favorite,” said Sanville of “Escanaba.” “I love what it says, what it does, and that it takes its time. When Jeff is at his best, he can convey a whole life of experience in one line of dialogue. And I think he’s at his best here. It’s a little scary and a little funny. It’s poignant, there are surprises, and if you’re a Civil War buff, you’ll get an extra kick out of it.” Sanville recently made a breakneck trip to Escanaba, in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, with actor Tom Whalen, two stage managers, and an understudy. “I’m a little superstitious,” Sanville confessed. He traveled to the town before the previous two plays’ openings, primarily to get wood for the set; this time, though, he went to get “the buck” (used in the film version of “Moonlight”), expose Whalen to the area’s distinct dialect firsthand, and record sounds and the stories of locals. This works to achieve Daniels’ original goals for the trilogy, which involved having non-traditional theatergoers see themselves and their world on a stage. “One of the problems with theater in our country is that theater has become very pedantic,” Sanville said. “Jeff calls what he’s doing ‘taking the starch out.’ Ideally, we like to get the professors from the university and the guys who build Chryslers crying about the same thing.”

"Escanaba" Who: Purple Rose Theatre Company. What: World premiere of Jeff Daniels' third and final installment of the Escanaba trilogy. Set in 1922, this chapter begins as Alphonse Soady is putting the finishing touches on his just-finished deer camp. Where: 137 Park St. in Chelsea. When: 8 p.m. Wednesday-Friday, 3 and 8 p.m. Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday; Sept. 17 through December 19. Check the company's Web site for additional performances and special events. How much: $20-$38 for regular performances. Preview performances, running September 17-24, cost $20-$25 per ticket. A special gala benefit performance, on Sunday, October 4 at 6 p.m., costs $250 per ticket and includes hors d'oeuvres, live music, and dinner at the Common Grill with Daniels and "Escanaba"'s cast. Info: 734-433-7673 or the Rose's web site.

Jenn McKee is the entertainment digital journalist for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at jennmckee@annarbor.com or 734-623-2546, and follow her on Twitter @jennmckee.

Left: Wayne David Parker and Tom Whalen in "Escanaba." Photo by Danna Segrest, courtesy of the Purple Rose Theatre Company. Right: File photo by Eliyahu Gurfinkel: Charlyn Swarthout and Jake Christensen in "Escanaba in Love" at the Purple Rose in 2006.