Peggy Rajski’s “Trevor” is only a 16-minute film. But the Oscar winning hilarious/heartbreaking/concise story of an adolescent coming to grips with his sexuality sparked a movement that has literally saved lives. Inspired by the 1994 movie, The Trevor Project offers a 24-hour hotline to LGBTQ youth. It’s a place where young people being bullied, threatened or ostracized for their sexuality can turn for help.
This month, “Trevor” will reach a potentially vast new audience, as Writers Theatre opens the world premiere of “Trevor: The Musical,” based on the movie. Directed by Marc Bruni (who shepherded “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical” to several Tonys), “Trevor” boasts a score by Julianne Wick Davis and a book and lyrics by Dan Collins.
For lyricist Collins, both “Trevor” the short film and “Trevor: The Musical” are deeply personal.
“I can speak from my experience as a closeted gay boy growing up,” says Collins, 38. “‘Trevor’ resonated in a really, really big way with me.”
Much of “Trevor” plays out in the title character’s middle school, where he joyfully gets involved with the drama club and choreographs a Diana Ross dance number (she’s his idol) starring his secret crush, the popular jock Pinky Faraday. It doesn’t take long for Trevor’s peers to start whispering and giggling behind his back. Pinky goes from being Trevor’s best friend to shunning him. As a middle school teacher in the early 1980s, composer Davis saw plenty of real-life Trevors dealing with similar cruelties.
“I taught choir and drama, and there were definitely Trevors in my classes. In middle school and junior high, being different is the worst thing that can happen to you. Trying to fit in if you aren’t like everybody else can be a terrible, damaging experience,” Davis says. “I always felt compelled to be available to the kinds who were ‘different.’ To make them feel like they had a safe place. And someone to talk to.”
The statistics show how crucial that safety net is. The Trevor Project notes that suicide is the second leading cause of death among young people ages 10 to 24. Moreover, the rate of suicide attempts is four times greater for LGBTQ youth and two times greater for questioning youth than that of straight youth.
“The movie came out more than 20 years ago, but it’s still relevant,” says Collins. “We’ve done workshop performances for young people, and we’ve found that kids are going through the exact same issues that Trevor has.”
Collins and Davis have expanded the script significantly in order to turn the 16-minute movie into a full-length musical. Characters that are only briefly seen in the film are fleshed out in the musical. Scenes that are only a few seconds long (such as a rather hilarious make-out party) have been expanded.
“I want kids like Trevor to know that they are not alone,” Collins says. “That they should not be embarrassed of the things that make them different, that the things that make them different are things to be proud of. It’s not easy, but it’s worth it to be true to yourself and to keep going.”
‘Trevor: The Musical’
When: Aug. 9-Sept. 17
Where: Writers Theatre, 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe
Tickets: $35-$80
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www.writerstheatre.org