Jeff Daniels narrates video showing light illuminating Metro Detroit stages

A new Jeff Daniels-narrated video offers a message of hope as the area's stages are dark due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

"The Ghost Light" debuted online Thursday and tells the story of the single light that shines on stages inside theaters and auditoriums during off-hours. 

"Every theater has a ghost light, a single light that for centuries has illuminated the stage when a theater is not in use," Daniels says in voice over. "And right now, across Metro Detroit, they're all still shining." 

The video shows shots of ghost lights shining inside a number of local performance venues, including the Fisher Theatre, the Detroit Opera House, the Fox Theatre, the Fillmore, Planet Ant, Orchestra Hall and Daniels' own Purple Rose Theatre in Chelsea. 

The message: those lights continue to shine, and will until entertainment is ready to return to Metro Detroit stages.

"Our spirit lives, our soul sings and our curtains will rise again," Daniels says. 

The video, which clocks in at a little over one minute in length, was produced by SMZ Advertising in Troy and was initiated by Broadway in Detroit. 

“Our area’s professional theatres are all very different — from large to small, for-profit to non-profit, original productions to touring shows — but the element we all share right now is a light shining in the dark that represents our passion to return and our hope for the future. We wanted to share that with our fans and our community,” Broadway in Detroit's Alan Lichtenstein said in a statement.

Jeff Daniels also provided voice over, alongside Big Sean, for a video titled "Hope" that debuted in May and centered on Detroit's resilience during hard times. 

agraham@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @grahamorama