The Back Alley

This Spring, Alley Theatre will be presenting the first-ever production of an unfinished play by renowned American dramatist Thornton Wilder. But what does it mean to present an unfinished play? How is it possible that nearly 50 years after Wilder’s death, The Emporium will finally appear before an audience?

Welcome to The Wendice Flat. Grab a drink, get comfortable, and let’s talk about MURDER.

Painting the Paneled Wall Mural for John Coyne’s Scenic Design for Jane Eyre was a fun and challenging project that required a unique combination of techniques.

If you enjoyed the specialty cocktail for Jane Eyre, here is your chance to make it yourself at home.

Alley Theatre is renowned for its captivating productions, but lately, the spotlight has been on a chilling genre – murder mysteries. From classic whodunits to contemporary thrillers, the Alley is offering audiences a chance to become armchair detectives, unraveling cunning plots and deciphering hidden clues.

I still marvel at Our Town, a play my parents think of as a well-made story, and I study for its formal innovation. How does Thornton Wilder do both at once? In order to find out I decided to read everything by Thornton Wilder. I read all his plays and novels. I read biographies and letters. And at the very end I was working my way through his journals when I came across notes about an unfinished play: The Emporium.

You are about to have the once-in-a-lifetime experience of seeing the world premiere of a play by one of America’s greatest playwrights: Thornton Wilder. To do a project like this has been a dream of mine for a long, long time.

Thornton Wilder (1897-1975) is a towering figure in American theatre. A playwright and novelist, Wilder's work explored universal human themes like love, family, purpose, and the passage of time. Although his thematic focus was broad, Wilder developed a distinctive storytelling approach that continues to resonate with audiences today.

Get a sneak peek of Jane Eyre in our latest video.

Jane Eyre is widely recognized as one of the greatest romance novels ever written. Since the time of its publication it has entered mainstream media, quickly becoming one of the most frequently adapted novels of all time. In the vast majority of adaptations, the emphasis is placed on the fraught courtship of Jane by her employer, Edward Fairfax Rochester. Although this is arguably the central relationship in the novel, it’s interesting to note that it only encompasses about half of the actual text.