Anyone who knows Ben Kolis is sure to know just how hardworking and passionate he is about soccer, theatre and life in general. The type of person who notices the beauty of the simplest things in life, Ben is described by peers and professors alike as “genuinely curious and heartwarming.”

A senior theatre major and English minor, Ben currently maintains a busy schedule. While taking a five credit course load, Ben is also a teaching assistant for Beginning Acting, a Writing Center tutor, an editor of Firethorne, and a member of the Gustavus soccer team. He is also actively involved with the theater department and the current theater production On Ego. Past involvement includes being a member of a breakdancing club at Gustavus and host of a radio show on KGSM.

Those who know and work closely with Ben are well acquainted with his strong sense of work ethic and his passion for life.

“Ben is such a hard worker. Never have I met someone who can devote so much of themselves to everything they do in the way that Ben does and still get a decent amount of sleep every night,” Senior Individualized Major Ben Batz, roommate and Close Friend of Ben said. Batz and Ben met during their first term seminar class, where they gradually became well acquainted with each other through conversation about essays, theater and life.

“Ben just makes so many people feel comfortable and good about themselves. He is so careful and thoughtful. I really could not ask for a better roommate,” Batz said.

While Ben considers everything he does immensely fulfilling, he considers theater to be his true passion at Gustavus He is currently preparing for the production of On Ego, which will be performed during the Nobel Conference in October 2011.

“On Ego is based off of a series of neurological essays and is in direct dialogue with the Nobel Conference. It is a difficult piece, but it really is an insane amount of fun,” Ben said about his involvement with the production. In general, his favorite roles to play are typically the more humorous and spirited ones.

“I will play whatever is handed to me, but my favorite roles are absolutely the more goofy ones because it seems to fit my personality more so than a serious role,” Ben said. Although he spends many hours a week on stage, he has never considered it to be work.

“For theatre, there is no such thing as the daily grind. The process is so compact and interesting in every step of the way. There is no time to get bored. That is part of what makes it so fun,” Ben said. It is his love of the process that he tries to impart through his role as a teaching assistant for Beginning Acting. Seeing himself as more than a traditional authority figure, he strives to be someone to go to for advice or suggestions, recognizing the value in giving students the opportunity to learn from themselves on stage.

Ben also joins his passion for theater with his interest in dance. His favorite theater pieces tend to be those that involve movement, which inspired him to take several dance classes. He intends to use this combination of theater and movement in his senior honors project, to be performed in the spring.

His fascination with everyday life played a role in the conception of the idea for this piece. He hopes that it will be accessible to anyone who can appreciate the small things in life and the art of ‘being human’. “I plan to create a piece that takes something very normal and mundane and point out the beauty in those seemingly insignificant acts. The focus of the piece will be on the actions one undertakes in a bar setting and the very ‘humanness’ that is involved with it,” Ben said.

While many may not expect actors and dancers to be athletes as well, Ben just does it all. Soccer is another one of Ben’s interests and he enjoys his time playing goalie for the Gustavus men’s soccer team.

“I absolutely love that he is an athlete but is not afraid to be a dancer and an actor as well. He truly has a great sense of self and is the same person around his soccer friends as he is around his theater friends,” English Professor Becky Fremo said. Fremo and Ben became acquainted through the first term seminar class she taught Ben.

“Ben was one of those students who was just so genuinely curious about everything in life. He thinks like a theorist and is constantly looking at the bigger picture. He is the kind of guy you want to be your kid’s role model,” Fremo said.

As Ben finishes his senior year, he looks forward to the future but at the same time is enjoying the present at Gustavus.

“The best part about being here at Gustavus has been that sense of community and acceptance as well as the great relationships I have had the chance to develop with such great people,” Ben said.

As for the future, Ben has no clear plan in mind—he is perfectly fine with that.

“I have enough interesting, maybe not marketable, skills to be qualified to do something,” Ben said. He indicated interest in moving to the Twin Cities after graduation, where he could pursue acting and possibly writing as well. While his plan is not set in stone, he knows that he does want to teach at some point in time in his life and would really like to be able to combine his love of theatre with education. Wherever he ends up going, it is likely he will continue to entertain crowds with his talent of acting and continue to make positive impressions on those he meets.