Kent State senior honors thesis writer Molly MacLagan has been named a 2010 Portz Scholar by the National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC) for her thesis, "Early English Theatre: A Practical Guide" written under the direction of Dr. Don-John Dugas, associate professor in the Department of English. MacLagan, a May 2010 graduate who majored in theatre studies, documented every aspect of mounting a production of a play from the medieval English Chester Mystery Cycle.

MacLagan's scholarly research was informed by her experience directing Play 13 of the 23-play cycle, which was performed at a lavish international production of the complete cycle at the University of Toronto in May by a company of 26 students from Kent State's Honors College.

Each year, honors programs throughout the country nominate one student essay to be considered by the NCHC Awards and Grants Committee, which then selects only four Portz Scholars. Kent State's Honors College has an impressive record of Portz Scholars. MacLagan is the sixth Portz Scholar from Kent State.

MacLagan received her award and presented her thesis at the National Collegiate Honors Council annual meeting in Kansas City, Mo., on Oct. 22.

To read more about Play 13, which MacLagan directed, visit www.kent.edu/news/announcements/success/honorsplay.cfm.

For more information about Kent State's Honors College, visit www.kent.edu/honors.