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Jack Klaff

JACK KLAFF

  (1951 - )
Nationality:    South African
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Literary Agent:    n/a

Jack's first movie rolewas in 'Star Wars'. His first television gig was an episode of 'The Sweeney' which also featured Morecambe and Wise. And his London stage debut involving wild sex scenes led bizarrely to long seasons at the Royal Shakespeare Company. When people ask him what makes him 'tick', he is fond of talking about his father who ran a watch-making business in Johannesburg. Indeed, in the early 1960's, Jack's Dad fixed Nelson Mandela's watch. It was that watch on which Mandela counted out the minutes, hours, days and years of his sentence. And it is to ideas of time, change, power and fairness that Jack returns again and again. He read Law and Economics before seeking a different kind of justice - and another way of earning money - through storytelling. As a writer/director, Jack's works have included 'The Shakespeare Revue' (West End), 'Maxim Shostakovitch' (HBO and Granada), 'Acid Test' (Granada Science), 'Reconstructed Heart' (Channel 4). He has written and performed on 'Bremner, Bird and Fortune' (Channel 4.) His pieces 'New Circus' (Channel Four) and 'Three-Five-Silly-Twerp' (Radio 3) were nominated for the Golden Rose at Montreux and a Tinniswood Award respectively. His most recent radio play, 'Flying Backwards', was broadcast in June 2012. Jack has also written and performed more than a dozen one-man shows. He has won two Fringe Firsts, the Jack Hargreaves Award for innovative TV Drama and, at the Edinburgh Festival, received the prestigious Herald Archangel Award 2010. Klaff's most recent solo pieces have included a piece about Hunger for V-22, 'Gandhi's Sandals for Tara Arts and 'Newton - Tour de Force' for Gravity Fields in Grantham.

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below is a list of Jack Klaff's plays - click on a Play Title for more information

         Be My - Be My Baby         Bosom Buddies         Cuddles         Daddy, Take Me To the Funfair         Fifty-Minute Hour, The         I Do Not Have the Nagging Doubt. . .         Jack Klaff Festival         Jack the Knife         Kafka         Letters Alone         Lots Of Suddenlies         More Cuddles Now         Nagging Doubt         Newton         Out to Lunch         Secret Of the White Rose         Stand Up         Under a Foreign Sky         Urban Rage         What's Inside         Whole Shebang, The         You Can't Go Wrong

Be My - Be My Baby

Synopsis:
This solo show was also produced by BBC2 as a television play as a two-hander. It tells the story of Jill and Mike both of whom have terrible qualms about having a baby, given the terrible state of the world. But. . ..Jill's biological clock is ticking. Mike relents, and so they try to have a baby. the awful irony is that Jill is infertile. they attempt IVF, and the hormones cause tensions between them. they split up. they get back together and have to go through IVF. there is a Dramatic complication: While they were apart Mike made another woman pregnant. . . . . Funny and touching parts for two versatile actors

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To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Solo Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
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Bosom Buddies

Synopsis:
the six great male encounters of the Twentieth Centuries in brief plays. each story is told by a woman who knew both men. the plays involve:
1. albert einstein and Niels Bohr as told by the daughter whom einstein gave away!
2. Smuts - South African Prime Minister and also inventor of the philosophy and the word 'Holism'! - and Mahatma Gandhi as told by emily Hobhouse.
3 Hitler and Stalin as told by Margarete Buber-Neumann who was in the Gulag and in Ravesnbruck.
4 Wittgenstein and Russell as told by Lady Ottoline Morrell.
5. Kennedy and Khruschev as told by Jacie Kennedy-Onassis.
6 Freud and Jung as told by Sabina Spielrein
Great dram, an intellectual and emotional feast. Terrific roles for versatile actors

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To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  -            Other:  1 f possible

Further Reference:

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Cuddles

Synopsis:
Penny believes in feminism. Tony is trying hard. This Fringe First-winning work offers opportunities for comedy and pathos

Notes:
edfest Fringe First Award

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To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Three plays One act

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  -            Other:  1 f possible

Further Reference:

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Daddy, Take Me To the Funfair

Synopsis:
Monologue about the death, long ago, of a Father and an appreciation of his life now that the son has grown up. Was the Father a coward in the face of the evils of the world, or is there a heroism in the day-to-day slog of providing for a family.

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To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Solo Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
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Fifty-Minute Hour, The

Synopsis:
a psychoanalyst is left alone. a patient is late. the analyst analyses himself and nothing less than the modern western mind. Fringe First award-winner and also broadcast by Channel Four TV

Notes:
edfest Fringe First Award

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To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Solo/or two-hander

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  -            Other:  1 f possible

Further Reference:

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I Do Not Have the Nagging Doubt. . .

Synopsis:
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Notes:
Part of the Warehouse Festival 18 Jan-2 Feb 1982. Full title "I do not have the nagging doubt of ever wondering whether, perhaps, I Am wrong", taken from A speech by Dr Vorster, South African Prime Minister

1st Produced:
Warehouse, Covent Garden, London    22 Jan 1982

Organisations:
RSC

1st Published:
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Music:
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To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
-

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
RSC ref IDO198201

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Jack Klaff Festival

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To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
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Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:

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Jack the Knife

Synopsis:
Klaff gladly risks career suicide. a forensic attack on the theatre, our culture and the abuse of power. 'makes you think as hard as he makes you laugh.' (Scotsman); 'a triumph!' (New York Times). Direction: Colin Watkeys. --

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Organisations:
Jack Klaff

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To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
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Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
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Kafka

Synopsis:
It is a little-known fact that Franz Kafka loved the theatre and produced his friend, an actor, in a series of one man shows! This deep appreciation of the work as well as the life of a great writer and thinker is Dramatic, surprising and has been performed successfully in a wide range of venues around the world.

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To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Solo Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:

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Letters Alone

Synopsis:
a writer leaves South Africa and over many years the stories of the people he left behind unfold on stage in a Chekhovian piece composed entirely of letters. the writer's life is also revealed in this work that premiered with the Royal Shakespeare Company's new work festival and has also been adapted for broadcast by the BBC

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1st Produced:
Warehouse, Covent Garden, London    14 Jul 1978

Organisations:
RSC

1st Published:
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Music:
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To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
late night reading

Parts:
Male:  6            Female:  6            Other:  with doubling

Further Reference:

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Lots Of Suddenlies

Synopsis:
a work comprising folk tales and yarns of all kinds from all over the world. a celebration of storytelling and how much it means to us.

Notes:
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1st Produced:
Toronto    1991

Organisations:
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To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Solo/or two-hander

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  -            Other:  1 f possible

Further Reference:

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More Cuddles Now

Synopsis:
a post-feminist work exploring the struggles of Mike and Kim to find their way through the minefield of male/female relationships. the play offers an in-depth and hilarious spectacle

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To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Solo/or two-hander

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:

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Nagging Doubt

Synopsis:
In 1960 a group of policemen in South Africa opened fire on a crowd of unarmed black people, killing many and wounding many more. This piece, originally written for the RSC and the BBC and broadcast on Channel 4, PBS and other channels throughout the war tells the story of the Sharpeville Massacre and a State of emergency during the apartheid years.

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To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Solo Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:

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Newton

Synopsis:
Sir Isaac Newton. Supreme genius. Unique personality. He invented the cat-flap, refused to use spoons, insisted on crimson decor and his old apple tree now forms the shape of a question mark. He overcame a mothers rejection, childhood bullying and early humiliation to become a giant of science, finance and society. With characteristic theatricality and masterful storytelling, Klaffs funny, touching show gives us a warts-and-all portrait of a superhuman thinker, an alchemical wizard and a vindictive  though loved  public figure. Director: Colin Watkeys.

Notes:
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1st Produced:
Summerhall, Edinburgh Festival Fringe    Aug 2013

Organisations:
Jack Klaff

1st Published:
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Music:
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To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
science 1 hour 15 minutes

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
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Out to Lunch

Synopsis:
A sharply-observed work with Klaffs usual lightning-fast character changes (Financial Times), and touching, hilarious style (TLS). In the empty belly of a disused space, Jack tells of salvaged books, travels in the Third World and his friendship with Kevin Carter, who took that prize-winning photograph of a vulture waiting for an emaciated child to die. Billions are fat, billions are hungry, and there are clear, simple, achievable ways of feeding everyone. So speculators, supermarkets, supermodels, super-chefs, superstars, charity-celebs and statesmen all get the Klaff treatment. Poetic, poignant, uplifting, punchy. Directed by Colin Watkeys, collaborator with legendary Ken Campbell.

Notes:
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1st Produced:
Summerhall, Edinburgh Festival Fringe    Aug 2013

Organisations:
Jack Klaff

1st Published:
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Music:
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To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
comedy, performance art, site-specific, solo show 1 hour

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
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Secret Of the White Rose

Synopsis:
the White Rose students were young people in Munich who stood up against Hitler in the bravest way imaginable. This is their story. It has been made into films many times, but works especially well on stage.

Notes:
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1st Produced:
Arts Threshold    1993

Organisations:
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1st Published:
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Music:
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To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Stand Up

Synopsis:
a physicist and his brother in oppressive and repressive Venezuela. This play is a pioneering work in the art and science movement. It also deals with incest in families.

Notes:
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1st Produced:
-    1987

Organisations:
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Music:
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To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:

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Under a Foreign Sky

Synopsis:
A moving drama written and performed by Jack Klaff, which both celebrates the destruction of Apartheid and is questioning the divisions in modern-day South Africa.

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To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:

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Urban Rage

Synopsis:
a guy loses it in the city. the city has tipped him over the edge. a sparky monologue an alarm call

Notes:
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Organisations:
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To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Solo Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
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What's Inside

Synopsis:
Two women facing up to the secret police

Notes:
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1st Produced:
Pentameters, Hampstead, London    -

Organisations:
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1st Published:
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Music:
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To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Whole Shebang, The

Synopsis:
the true story of an artist's work in a freaky Deep Future think-tank. Not science fiction, science fact.

Notes:
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To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Solo Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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You Can't Go Wrong

Synopsis:
Three comic monologues

Notes:
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1st Produced:
London    1988

Organisations:
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1st Published:
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Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Monologues

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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