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Encyclopedia
T. James Belich is an American playwright
and actor. He is the author
of a dozen plays
in genres that include mystery
, fantasy
, religious, and child
ren's. His works have been performed not only in the United States
, but also around the world in places such as Africa
, the United Kingdom
, and New Zealand
.
Belich has been heavily influenced by the works of such authors as C. S. Lewis
, J. R. R. Tolkien
, and Madeleine L'Engle
.
In 2002, Belich helped found the Critical Mass Playwrighting Fellowship in the Twin Cities, Minnesota
, 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
at the University of Minnesota
where he earned a PhD under his advisor, Dr. James Kakalios
.
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
with his new company, The Pauper's Theater. Belich currently resides in Saint Paul, Minnesota
, with his wife Kelly.
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
and actor. He is the author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
of a dozen plays
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
in genres that include mystery
Mystery fiction
Mystery fiction is a loosely-defined term.1.It is often used as a synonym for detective fiction or crime fiction— in other words a novel or short story in which a detective investigates and solves a crime mystery. Sometimes mystery books are nonfiction...
, fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
, religious, and child
Child
Biologically, a child is generally a human between the stages of birth and puberty. Some vernacular definitions of a child include the fetus, as being an unborn child. The legal definition of "child" generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger than the age of majority...
ren's. His works have been performed not only in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, but also around the world in places such as Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
Belich has been heavily influenced by the works of such authors as C. S. Lewis
C. S. Lewis
Clive Staples Lewis , commonly referred to as C. S. Lewis and known to his friends and family as "Jack", was a novelist, academic, medievalist, literary critic, essayist, lay theologian and Christian apologist from Belfast, Ireland...
, J. R. R. Tolkien
J. R. R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...
, and Madeleine L'Engle
Madeleine L'Engle
Madeleine L'Engle was an American writer best known for her young-adult fiction, particularly the Newbery Medal-winning A Wrinkle in Time and its sequels A Wind in the Door, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Many Waters, and An Acceptable Time...
.
In 2002, Belich helped found the Critical Mass Playwrighting Fellowship in the Twin Cities, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, 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
Youth
Youth is the time of life between childhood and adulthood . Definitions of the specific age range that constitutes youth vary. An individual's actual maturity may not correspond to their chronological age, as immature individuals could exist at all ages.-Usage:Around the world, the terms "youth",...
and family
Family
In human context, a family is a group of people affiliated by consanguinity, affinity, or co-residence. In most societies it is the principal institution for the socialization of children...
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
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
at the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
where he earned a PhD under his advisor, Dr. James Kakalios
James Kakalios
James Kakalios 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 as the author of the book The Physics of Superheroes, which considers comic...
.
Belich has also been active in the theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
in other capacities. He has acted
ACTED
ACTED is a non-governmental organization. It was founded in 1993 as a private, non-political non-profit, headquartered in Paris. ACTED stands for Agence d'Aide à la Coopération Technique et au Développement or Technical Cooperation and Development Aid Agency.-Goals:ACTED is a humanitarian...
in a wide range of roles, and has worked behind the scenes in positions ranging from lighting designer
Lighting designer
The role of the lighting designer within theatre is to work with the director, choreographer, set designer, costume designer, and sound designer to create an overall 'look' for the show in response to the text, while keeping in mind issues of visibility, safety and cost...
to producer
Theatrical producer
A theatrical producer is the person ultimately responsible for overseeing all aspects of mounting a theatre production. The independent producer will usually be the originator and finder of the script and starts the whole process...
. In 2006 he brought his own play, Illinois Jane and the Pyramid of Peril, to the Minnesota Fringe Festival
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 disciplines, is one of many Fringe Festivals in North...
with his new company, The Pauper's Theater. Belich currently resides in Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
, with his wife Kelly.
List of works
- 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.Playscripts, Inc.Playscripts, Inc. is a New York City-based publisher of new plays and musicals, founded by brothers and playwrights Doug and Jonathan Rand. Included in the exclusive Playscripts catalog are over 1,600 plays and musicals by over 800 authors....
- EponineÉponineÉponine Thénardier is a fictional character in the 1862 novelLes Misérables by Victor Hugo.- Éponine in the novel :As children, Éponine and her younger sister Azelma are described as pretty, well-dressed, charming and a delight to see. They are pampered and spoiled by their parents the Thénardiers...
(Contemporary) - Heuer Publishing
- Forgotten Fire: Tale of the Burning Sword (Storytelling fantasy)
- Illumination: A New Tenebrae (with AvaLynn Nadine Grant)
- The Tiger, the Brahmin and the JackalThe Tiger, the Brahmin and the JackalThe Tiger, the Brahmin and the Jackal is a popular Indian fairy tale with a long history and many variants. A version was included in Joseph Jacobs' collection Indian Fairy Tales.-Synopsis:...
(Folk tale) - Heuer Publishing
- Illinois Jane and the Pyramid of Peril (Adventure comedy) - Pioneer Drama Service
- Masterminds (with K. Thomas Whitby and Corey Mills)
- The Wind in the WillowsThe Wind in the WillowsThe Wind in the Willows is a classic of children's literature by Kenneth Grahame, first published in 1908. Alternately slow moving and fast paced, it focuses on four anthropomorphised animal characters in a pastoral version of England...
(Children's) - Playscripts, Inc.Playscripts, Inc.Playscripts, Inc. is a New York City-based publisher of new plays and musicals, founded by brothers and playwrights Doug and Jonathan Rand. Included in the exclusive Playscripts catalog are over 1,600 plays and musicals by over 800 authors....
- Illinois Jane and the Rainforest of Retribution (Adventure comedy) - Playscripts, Inc.Playscripts, Inc.Playscripts, Inc. is a New York City-based publisher of new plays and musicals, founded by brothers and playwrights Doug and Jonathan Rand. Included in the exclusive Playscripts catalog are over 1,600 plays and musicals by over 800 authors....
- The Princess and the Moon (Fairytale comedy)
External links
- Official website (includes full scripts of his plays)
- Pioneer Drama Service
- Playscripts, Inc.
- Heuer Publishing