New York University

New York University

The Office of Public Affairs

Thursday, May 24, 2007

N-476, 2006-07

Using words from real-life letters and diaries, a new play premiering at New York University in June will bring to life the unusual romantic arrangement of three historical men: photographer George Platt Lynes, writer Glenway Wescott, and MoMA curator Monroe Wheeler. III, written and directed by Joe Salvatore, a teacher in the Educational Theatre program in the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development and performed as a workshop production, follows the trajectory of the trio’s 15-year relationship from 1927 to 1943.

III will be performed at the Black Box Theater, Joseph and Violet Pless Hall, 82 Washington Square East, on Thurs., June 21, Fri., June 22, and Sat., June 23. All performances begin at 8 p.m. The cast includes Salvatore, John DelVecchio, and Daryl Embry. Tickets are free and seating is first come, first served. To reserve tickets, the public should call 212.998.5266. [Subway: A, B, C, D, E, F (West 4th St.); R (8th St)]

The play begins in the early 1920s with the meeting and initial courtship of Wescott and Wheeler at the University of Chicago. The couple then meets the young and idealistic Lynes, an aspiring writer who lacks focus and drive. After discovering his talent for photography, Wescott and Wheeler help to cultivate the young man’s talents while living as expatriates in France. As Lynes’ career flourishes, Wescott’s writing career flounders. Upon returning to the United States, the three men take an apartment on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, and the play chronicles the highs and lows of the relationship. Eventually, the family dissolves in February 1943 when Lynes takes on a new love interest, and Wheeler experiences outside pressure over his living arrangements.

Reporters interested in attending should call Tim Farrell at the NYU Office of Public Affairs, 212.998.6797 or email at tim.farrell@nyu.edu.