NATCHITOCHES – Last year, The Dear School of Creative and Performing Arts at Northwestern State University inducted Robert Larriviere into its Hall of Fame. Receiving that honor pushed Larriviere to take care of some unfinished business – completing his degree.
Thirty-six years after starting Northwestern State’s theatre program, Larriviere recently finished his final courses during the summer semester to complete his degree.
“Finishing my degree has always been one of those things sitting in the back of my mind,” said Larriviere. “I attended for about three and a half years, on and off, with some time away working professionally in theater. Eventually, the work became my full-time career, and school was put on hold much longer than I ever intended.”
When he left NSU, Larriviere moved to Los Angeles, then eventually back to Louisiana, He admits he has been fortunate enough to build a career in the film industry.
“One opportunity led to another, and somehow an entire career happened,” said Larriviere. “I’m extremely proud of the career I’ve built, but not having my degree always felt like a missing piece. No matter where my career took me, I always wanted to connect the success I’ve had back to Northwestern, the place that gave me my start.”
Larriviere has built a reputation for delivering nuanced, character-driven performances. His extensive credits include “Where the Crawdads Sing,” “The Girl from Plainville,” “Jeff, Who Lives at Home,” “Carry On,” “Sneaky Pete” and “NCIS: New Orleans” along with a wide range of roles that showcase his versatility. As a filmmaker, he wrote, directed and produced the award-winning short film “This is Jan” and remains committed to telling meaningful stories with honesty and heart.
“I’ve also always maintained a connection to the theatre program, coming back for shows and events throughout the years,” said Larriviere. “Being inducted into NSU’s Creative and Performing Arts Hall of Fame brought me back to campus in a different way and really became the catalyst for finally doing something about completing my degree. It made me think about just how much Northwestern and the Theatre program had given me. Afterward, I decided to pull out my transcripts and take another look. I realized I was much closer to finishing than I had imagined.
“There was something pretty powerful about being recognized by the program that gave me my start while knowing I still had this one piece left unfinished. More than anything, I wanted to do it for myself, but I also wanted to honor the theatre program and complete the journey I began there 36 years ago.”
Larriviere credits Brett Garfinkel, chair of the Department of Theatre and Dance, Scott Burrell, director of the School of Creative and Performing Arts, and the department’s faculty with helping him reach his goal.
“Brett was really the person who helped make all of this possible. From my very first email asking if there might be a path for me to finish, Brett was encouraging and immediately took an interest in helping me figure it out,” said Larriviere. “He helped me understand where I stood, what I still needed and how I could actually get it done. He was always available for anything that came up. Having someone believe this was possible before I was even sure myself made an enormous difference.”
Larriviere said Burrell “helped make sure I had the path and resources I needed to complete the degree. From the beginning, the attitude from both Scott and Brett was simply, ‘Let’s figure out how to make this happen.’
“That same spirit carried through to my professors. Every one of them was supportive and generous as I adjusted to being a student again after 36 years,” said Larriviere. “Pia Wyatt was a wonderful cheerleader throughout the process and gave me lots of advice and encouragement along the way.”
One complication for Larriviere was an earlier than expected move to Portugal early in the year.
“I intended to work on and complete my degree before an anticipated move to Portugal in September, but life happens fast,” said Larriviere. “That timeline changed dramatically, and I actually moved to Portugal in early 2026. Suddenly I was completing my degree remotely while going through the visa process, packing up my life, selling almost everything I owned and building an entirely new life in a new country.”
Larriviere admits “it is a little crazy that I did both at the same time.”
“But in some ways, they became part of the same journey. At 53, I was becoming a college student again while also starting over in a new country. Having Brett, Scott and my professors at Northwestern behind me, even from thousands of miles away, made all the difference. There were a lot of moving pieces in my life, but they made sure finishing my degree never felt out of reach.”