Jeff Daniels’ “Escanaba” plays — “Escanaba in da Moonlight,” which premiered in 1995, and “Escanaba in Love,” which premiered in 2006 — have provided Chelsea’s Purple Rose Theatre Company with two of the biggest hits in the theater’s 18-year history.

The shows — written by Daniels, Chelsea's hometown movie star and founder of the Purple Rose — are beloved by many for their native Michigan sense of humor and setting: an old family deer camp in the Upper Peninsula.

So anticipation already surrounds this fall’s premiere of Daniels’ third and final installment, simply titled “Escanaba.” And if you count yourself among the series’ fans, you don’t have to wait until then to get a glimpse of the trilogy’s last entry; just go to the downtown Ann Arbor library next Wednesday evening, Aug. 19, and see director Guy Sanville run through one of the show’s first rehearsals with his cast.

“It’s really valuable, that early in the process, to hear (the play) out loud and get feedback,” said Sanville. “Every new play we do from now on, that’s what we’re doing.”

At Wednesday’s library event, “Escanaba” cast members Julian Gant, Wayne David Parker and Tom Whalen, among others (Daniels does not appear in the plays) will sit on stools with scripts in hand, but they’ll stand to act out scenes in which they’re involved, and stage directions will be read aloud. Sanville, of course, may jump in occasionally with comments or suggestions for the actors, and audience members will get the chance to contribute to a discussion after the reading.

Daniels’ “Escanaba” series moves backward in time, so while “Moonlight” was set in 1987, “Love” takes place in 1945, and “Escanaba”’s story happens in 1922.

“Grandpa Alphonse, the old guy, is young in this one,” said Sanville. “It’s the story of how the cabin got built, and how the Soady rituals got started. But it’s ‘Escanaba,’ so there’s some supernatural stuff in it. There’s an interesting character — a slave that escaped in 1862 — and it’s a story about home. The tagline for the thing is, 'everyone’s got a home someplace.'”

Jenn McKee is the entertainment digital journalist for AnnArbor.com. She can be reached at jennmckee@annarbor.com.

Top photo: Wayne David Parker will return in "Escanaba." Second photo: director Guy Sanville.

PREVIEW Who: The Purple Rose Theatre Co. What: A working rehearsal of the new Jeff Daniels play “Escanaba." What: Director Guy Sanville guides his cast through the story of the building of the Soady deer camp, the origins of the camp’s rituals, and an escaped slave. Where: Downtown library, 343 S. Fifth Ave. When: Wednesday, Aug. 19, 6-9 p.m. How much: Free. Info: Ann Arbor District Library web site or 734-327-4200.