Mary Fletcher 

Reporter 

Northwestern State University’s students have no shortage of theatrical talent, both onstage and off. For example, Trevor Molitor, a senior theater major in the Louisiana Scholars College, has chosen to direct a reading of “The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley” by Shawn Hutchinson for his thesis project. He expects to defend his thesis in mid-to-late-April. 

Molitor has chosen Dr. Holly Stave, assistant director of the Louisiana Scholars’ College, as his thesis director and professor Carlos Nine, assistant professor of theater, as his second reader. Both Stave and Nine have guided Molitor through the process of directing and mounting the production.  

“The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley” discusses emotionally heavy themes such as homophobia, mental illness, grief and religion. In today’s industry, appropriate LGBTQ representation is considered important, so a story that centered around an openly gay character attracted Molitor towards directing this particular play. 

“What drew me to this was that it was the first book I read that was about a gay character and I wanted to tell a more diverse story about mental illness and grief,” Molitor said. “I hope the audience will take away that everyone grieves differently and that despite circumstances, there’s a way out of the darkness.” 

The performance will be conducted by Zoom and simulcast to a live audience in Morrison Hall on April 13. 

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