T. James Belich (born 1976, also known by the pseudonym of Colorado Tolston) is an American playwright and

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

. He is the author of a dozen plays in genres that include mystery,

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...

, religious, and children's. His works have been performed not only in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, but also around the world in places such as Africa, the United Kingdom, the Philippines and

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. Belich has been heavily influenced by the works of such authors as

C. S. Lewis Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963) was a British writer and Anglican lay theologian. He held academic positions in English literature at both Oxford University (Magdalen College, 1925–1954) and Cambridge Univers ...

J. R. R. Tolkien John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (, ; 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer and philology, philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''. From 1925 to 1945, Tolkien was ...

, and

Madeleine L'Engle Madeleine L'Engle DStJ (; November 29, 1918 – September 6, 2007) was an American writer of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and young adult fiction, including ''A Wrinkle in Time'' and its sequels: ''A Wind in the Door'', ''A Swiftly Tilting Plan ...

. In 2002, Belich helped found the Critical Mass Playwrighting Fellowship in the

Twin Cities Twin cities are a special case of two neighboring cities or urban centres that grow into a single conurbation – or narrowly separated urban areas – over time. There are no formal criteria, but twin cities are generally comparable in statu ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

, which led to creation of the Hodge-Podge Players (now the Hodge-Podge Theatre Company), a theatre group which focuses on presenting theatre for youth and family audiences. The Hodge-Podge Theatre Company primarily produces original work by Critical Mass members. In addition to his career as a playwright, Belich also has a background in the sciences, having studied

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

at the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...

where he earned a PhD under his advisor, Dr.

James Kakalios James Kakalios (born December 27, 1958) is a physics professor at the University of Minnesota. Known within the scientific community for his work with amorphous semiconductors, granular materials, and 1/f noise, he is known to the general public ...

. Belich has also been active in the theatre in other capacities. He has acted in a wide range of roles, and has worked behind the scenes in positions ranging from lighting designer to producer. In 2006 he brought his own play, Illinois Jane and the Pyramid of Peril, to the

Minnesota Fringe Festival The Minnesota Fringe Festival is a performing arts festival held in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, every summer, usually during the first two weeks in August. The eleven-day event, which features performing artists of many genres and dis ...

with his new company, The Pauper's Theater. Belich currently resides in

Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississip ...

, with his wife Kelly.

List of works

*
The Captain's Treasure, A Commedia
' Heuer Publishing *
Eponine
' (Contemporary) Heuer Publishing * '' A Slip in Time'' (Murder mystery) * '' World That Never Was'' (Science-fiction) * '' Light Never Dies'' (Fantasy epic) * '' Rexque Futurus'' (Arthurian) * ''Ace of Diamonds'' (Murder mystery) – Big Dog Plays * '' ReFUSION: Tale of the Oracle'' (Storytelling fantasy) * '' Twilight of the King'' (Christmas comedy) – Playscripts, Inc. * '' Forgotten Fire: Tale of the Burning Sword'' (Storytelling fantasy) * '' Illumination: A New Tenebrae'' (with AvaLynn Nadine Grant) * '' The Tiger, the Brahmin and the Jackal'' (Folk tale) – Heuer Publishing * '' Masterminds'' (with K. Thomas Whitby and Corey Mills) * ''

The Wind in the Willows ''The Wind in the Willows'' is a children's novel by the British novelist Kenneth Grahame, first published in 1908. It details the story of Mole, Ratty, and Badger as they try to help Mr. Toad, after he becomes obsessed with motorcars and gets ...

'' (Children's) – Playscripts, Inc. * '' Illinois Jane and the Rainforest of Retribution'' (Adventure comedy) – Playscripts, Inc. * '' The Princess and the Moon'' (Fairytale comedy)

External links

Official website
(includes full scripts of his plays)
Pioneer Drama ServicePlayscripts, Inc.Heuer Publishing
{{DEFAULTSORT:Belich, T. James 21st-century American dramatists and playwrights University of Minnesota College of Science and Engineering alumni Living people 1976 births