Jane and Jim Jeffries -- We have been writing plays together since 1995. Our scripts have been performed in all 50 states and in 20 foreign countries. Together, we have produced and directed over 50 shows for elementary, middle, and high schools, community theater, and Renaissance Faires. Jane holds a B.A. and M.A. in English. Jane taught English at the University of Wisconsin-Stout, writes marketing materials for various nonprofits, judges at the sectional and state One-Act Festivals, and writes a blog called “The Odd Christian.” Jim earned his B.A. in Education and his MEPD in American Studies. He has been teaching since 1990, first at North High School, then at Eau Claire County Jail, and currently at Regis Catholic School.
25 pages
1 m, 1 w
Trying to start over after a recent tragic loss, Nicholas has just moved to a new school. He is socially awkward and just needs a friend, so he reaches out to the girl in the corner, who silently writes in her journal. Slowly, they begin to build a friendship. Though it takes time to open up about it, a school shooting has taken the lives of each of their siblings. But when the girl, Ali, reveals her last name, Nicholas realizes her brother was the shooter. This play does not have easy answers but explores the anger and loss in the aftermath of a shooting and...
32 pages
2-3 m, 6 w
Okay, these housewives may not be real, but they are desperate. Shakespeare has been manipulating and twisting their lives for six plays now, and they desperately want to escape his evil machinations. But are they desperate enough to commit murder? Shakespeare has been found dead: stabbed, poisoned, starved, choked, bitten by an asp, and even turned into a baardvark. Lady Macbeth, Juliet, Kate, Rosalind, Cleopatra, and Titania all had the means and the motive to kill Shakespeare, but who really did it? This comic tragedy (or is that tragic comedy?) has all of...
29 pages
3 m, 8 w, 2 flexible
Tech week. It’s sort of like trying to hit a homerun with a tennis racket. This tech week is especially challenging because the techies chose the play, Cats from Mars. Broken props and hyper-caffeinated techies are only some of the problems. The other human factors in this play, called actors, introduce chaos: the newbie breaks the laser gun (affectionately named Katniss), the prima donna badmouths the costumes, and the alpha male lead destroys the fog machine in between spates of directing advice. Meanwhile, the director desperately tries to hold the product...
26 pages
10 m, 9 w, 2 flexible
In this fast-paced, technology-saturated world, can teenagers really survive without laptops, i-pads, cell phones and other mobile devices? Has high-speeding texting replaced face-to-face communication? Do apps substitute for thoughtful conversation? From breaking up on Facebook, to in-class research, to real-time dating advice, this play delves into the world of teens to see how they navigate with (or - gasp! - without) technology. "Screenagers" is a humorous look at how technology is shaping the way we socialize, communicate, and—hang on, I’ve got a call co...
36 pages
7 m, 7 w, 3 flexible, extras
In this lightly-interactive dinner theatre play, King Scrydan is so cheap that he can’t even pay attention. And if he did, he would know that everyone calls him Scrooge behind his back. Coming from beyond Jamaica, his dearly-departed brother Marley tells him, “Bredda, yuh inna big chobble. Yuh be too gravelicious. But me cyan 'elp yuh wit dat problem.” Luckily, Marley has brought along his Jamaican-to-English interpreter who can translate. Marley warns Scrydan that if he does not change his skinflint ways, it will lead to a fate worse than death. Scrydan will...
49 pages
12 - 18
The world-renowned fairy tale diagnostician Dr. Grimm is having a very bad day. He’s got twins with type 2 diabetes, a boy the size of a thumb who needs massive doses of growth hormone, a gnome with an identity crisis, a princess with insomnia, and a wolf who needs a grannyectomy. And that’s just in the clinic. Grimm’s main case is a very pale girl who fell into a coma after eating a toxic candied apple. What could it be? Flexible casting, fast-moving, and lots of fun. About 75 minutes.