HOUSTON, TEXAS -- In a moment reminiscent of an adventure straight out of an Indiana Jones film, Kirk Lynn found himself in a Yale library, anxiously prying open three bankers' boxes. Within lay a treasure trove: hundreds of pages of an unknown and incomplete play by the legendary playwright Thornton Wilder. "My expression just melted off my face," Lynn recalls with a laugh.

Lynn, a multifaceted artist teaching at the University of Texas at Austin, embarked on a journey through the 360 handwritten pages. With the blessing of the Wilder estate, he undertook the task of completing the play, titled "The Emporium." This nine-scene masterpiece is set to unveil at Alley Theatre in Houston from May 10 to June 2, marking the culmination of an extraordinary quest to rescue a forgotten work by a literary giant.

We're offering the world a premiere of a remarkable piece by an American playwright that we weren't even aware existed," says Rob Melrose, Alley's artistic director and the director of the show. Lynn devoted a year to immersing himself in Wilder's remaining writings after the playwright's death in 1975. Wilder's previous full-length plays, "Our Town" and "The Skin of Our Teeth," each earned Pulitzer Prizes for Drama, while his novel "The Bridge of San Luis Rey" secured a Pulitzer in fiction.

The allure of Wilder's work remains potent, with a star-studded revival of "Our Town" slated for Broadway this autumn, featuring talents like Jim Parsons, Katie Holmes, Richard Thomas, and Ephraim Sykes. Amidst Wilder's letters, drafts, and notebooks, Lynn stumbled upon mentions of an unproduced third play, "The Emporium," inspired by Franz Kafka's "The Castle.

Kirk was convinced this must exist somewhere," explains Melrose. Upon entering reference numbers for materials at Yale's Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Lynn found himself on the brink of discovery. The contents of the banker boxes surpassed his wildest expectations. He recounts summoning all his restraint to contain his elation upon lifting the lid of one box.

Wilder's pages were densely populated with edits, with sections crossed out and new dialogues scrawled in margins. Occasionally, Wilder's attention drifted, leading him to engage in word games like crafting alternate words from "plenitude," "hospice," and "invalid.

To label "The Emporium" as unfinished feels inadequate. Lynn suggests it's more apt to describe it as "over-finished"—Wilder had crafted multiple iterations of each scene. Lynn, akin to a skilled carpenter, meticulously fused the best components together, seamlessly blending his own additions to create a cohesive whole.

I felt like I unlocked a bonus level where not only can you read him, but you can touch the material and feel like you’re working with him, which is great,” he said. The result is a funny, moving and experimental seven-actor play, with audience participation, jokes about Honey Boo Boo and Jodie Foster, a love story and surreal touches throughout, like a box of cards set on fire. “He’s trying to write right at the edge of what he might be able to pull off,” said Lynn. The play — about a mythical department store containing everything a person could possibly want — is a metaphor for a life in the arts. We know this because Wilder thought it would be clever to have a prologue saying exactly that plopped into the play after intermission. Wilder didn't write the prologue, so Lynn stepped in. Wilder wanted “The Emporium” to show how frustrating it is to be an artist. In a regular corporate job — represented in the play by rival department stores — hiring, promotions, bonuses and titles are clear. But it's hard to know how to enter the world of the arts and you often have to fake it until you make it. Lynn suspects Wilder didn't finish “The Emporium” in part because of heightened expectations. “I think he’s pretty scared that it’s not going to live up to his own standards and his own potential,” he said. “He’s anxious about whether it will be another great work.” “The Emporium” has signature Wilder touches — like goodbye speeches — and autobiographical details, like a nod to the boarding houses he lived in and an orphanage that may be a reference to his own years in boarding school. One puzzle facing Lynn was how to actually start the play. Wilder wanted it to be like a perfect circle that could be started at any scene. In some drafts, the play starts with scene seven. “It was a really fun problem,” Lynn said. Audiences these days are encouraged to watch shows quietly, but not at “The Emporium.” Wilder asks them to make animal noises, hiss at characters and write things on cards. They're even told at some points to take out their phones and use the flashlight. “His idea from the beginning was that the audience was going to be cast in a choral role for every scene,” said Melrose. “So in the first scene, they’re a bunch of rioting customers outside the Emporium. The second scene, they’re orphans. The third scene, they’re sheep.”

Lynn and Melrose attribute much of the creative freedom and willingness to take risks in "The Emporium" to the encouragement from the Wilder estate, particularly Wilder's nephew, Tappan Wilder. “To be invited into that was delicious,” said Lynn. This isn't the first time Alley Theatre has showcased a world premiere of a lost play by a revered playwright. In 1998, it staged the American premiere of Tennessee Williams' “Not About Nightingales,” which later enjoyed a Broadway run in 1999. Melrose, formerly the artistic director and co-founder of the Cutting Ball Theater, vividly remembers his envy of Alley's success back then and eagerly embraced the opportunity when Lynn broached the subject of “The Emporium.” “I thought, ‘Oh, my God, this is a way I could get to do the thing I didn’t get to do with Williams.’ I actually get to do it with Wilder and I get to feel like I’m carrying that torch that Alley started.” ___ Mark Kennedy is at http://twitter.com/KennedyTwits

In conclusion, the journey of bringing Thornton Wilder's "The Emporium" to life at Alley Theatre stands as a testament to the collaborative spirit between artists, the support of literary estates, and the enduring legacy of master playwrights. With Kirk Lynn's dedication to completing Wilder's vision and Rob Melrose's passion for theatrical innovation, "The Emporium" promises to captivate audiences with its blend of humor, experimentation, and poignant reflection on the challenges of artistic pursuit. As the curtain rises on this remarkable world premiere, it not only honors Wilder's legacy but also continues Alley Theatre's tradition of championing lost treasures from the realm of theater.