Jim and Jane Jeffries
Jane and Jim Jeffries -- We have been writing plays together since 1995—and are still married. Our scripts have been performed in 49 states, Canada, Mexico, and Guatemala. Jane earned her B.A. in English from the University of Evansville in Indiana and her M.A. in English from Penn State University. Besides writing plays, Jane judges at the WI Forensics Association’s One-Act Festival and directs shows whenever she can. Currently, she teaches English at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. Jim earned his B.A. in Education at Indiana University and his Masters in American Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. He teaches history and economics at North High School in Eau Claire where he performs 900 shows a year in front of audiences of 30 critics. Juggling at the Wisconsin Renaissance Faire was a much easier gig.
Desperate Housewives of Shakespeare
Comedy by Jim and Jane Jeffries
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...
Screenagers
Comedy by Jim and Jane Jeffries
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...
Tech Week
Comedy by Jim and Jane Jeffries
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...
Grimm, M.D.: Fairy Tale Doctor
Comedy by Jim and Jane Jeffries
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.
Scrooge, Marley & Me
Comedy Interactive by Jim and Jane Jeffries
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...