"Guy Sanville, the artistic director of the Purple Rose, is stepping down according to a letter that the Purple Rose sent out to donors on Friday.

Sanville was the subject of a 7-part report this week here at OnStage Blog which detailed allegations of abuse dating back decades.”

“The Purple Rose Theater Company, which has been accused of multiple forms of abuse and operating a toxic environment, has been making several changes in the past 20 months—and they say many started before that.”

“The Purple Rose Theatre, a resident Equity company in Chelsea, Michigan founded by Jeff Daniels, has been accused of fostering an unsafe work environment that does not recognize boundaries and mocks the idea of needing an intimacy professional. Meanwhile, artists have said they were forced into situations that were uncomfortable or had to observe incidents that crossed boundaries, in particular for female-presenting or LGBTQ+ artists.”

“In the complaints lodged against the Purple Rose Theatre Company in Chelsea, MI, a regional Equity house founded by actor Jeff Daniels and run by Guy Sanville, many artists have said it was made very clear that LGBTQ+ actors are not welcome there.”

“On a recent Stephen Colbert episode, Purple Rose owner Jeff Daniels mentioned George Floyd and said that white America has to do better about issues of race. It was an episode that had many people seething because they felt he was not taking care of race-related issues in the Chelsea, Michigan theater he founded, The Purple Rose.”

“As more stories surface about the working environment at the Purple Rose Theater in Chelsea, a regional Equity house founded by actor Jeff Daniels, a common thread has been the relating of incidents that appear to violate U.S. employment laws, state wage, and hour laws, and OSHA requirements.”

“Jowi Estava has been away from the Purple Rose for five years, but still stutters and stumbles when she talks about her experience there, an experience that she said gave her PTSD and almost took away her ability to perform.”

“The Purple Rose Theatre, an Equity house in Chelsea, Michigan founded and run by actor Jeff Daniels, has been accused of operating a toxic environment that is abusive to women, people of color and those identifying as LGBTQ+.”

“Outside of Michigan, most people have only heard the bad news out of Flint. It’s the city whose drinking water was poisoned by a state administration that took over the city’s governance and wanted to save money. But Flint is also home to the Flint Repertory Theatre, an organization led by Michael Lluberes that has been doing amazing work and this summer is offering pandemic-safe work that marries playwrights and visual artists and takes audiences all over the city.”