Benji Braswell

Director & Theatre Arts Teacher

​     Benji Braswell (They, them) is the Theatre teacher at Jefferson High School where they offer classes in Theatre Arts 1, 2, Stagecraft, Production, Devised, and Advanced Acting. They are also the Artistic Director of the Jefferson Players, our school’s after school drama club and performing troupe! Their most recent show directed at Jeff was SpongeBob the Musical. They are a 8 year certified public educator who has taught grades k-12 throughout Texas, Colorado, Illinois and now Indiana who also serves as the Director of Education and Outreach at the Civic Theatre of Lafayette and feels so incredibly lucky to be working alongside such passionate artists and educators that care equally about the community.
​     Benji has lived a life centered around theatre. Originally from West Texas, Benji was raised performing in Shakespearean productions at The Globe of the Great Southwest. They earned their undergraduate degree in theatrical directing from Columbia College Chicago while working as an actor in Chicago’s bustling theatre scene. Benji earned their masters degree in Theatre and Performance Studies from the University of Colorado at Boulder where they worked as a dramaturg and teaching artist for the Colorado Shakespeare Festival. Benji's love for storytelling and the social impact of theatre has led them to teach all age groups throughout their career and direct for multiple non-profit groups such as ArtsUnderground in Colorado and GuideRight in Chicago. Their goal is ultimately to share the joy of theatre making with their students and inspire positive and meaningful social change in their community through storytelling

Tim Franklin

Improv Coach

     ​Tim Franklin is a math teacher and improv coach working with Jefferson Players. 
     Tim became involved in improvisational theater while attending Purdue University as an undergrad. He was a part of the improv comedy group The Crazy Monkeys from 2006 – 2009. After college, he helped found a long form improv comedy group called Ad Liberation. He was a part of that group from its inception in 2010 until 2014, when he left to join Lafayette’s local improv group One Size Fits All.
     Improvisational skills are important not just in theater, but for developing creativity and flexibility in all aspects of life. Tim believes that by practicing the art of improvisation, students will gain confidence in public speaking and networking skills which will benefit them beyond high school.
     But mainly, he thinks improv is just super fun and that more people should be doing it! 

Raeanne O'Day

Improv Coach

     Raeanne O'Day is an English teacher and improv coach working with Jefferson Players.
    Raeanne graduated from Indiana University Bloomington in 2018 with a Bachelor's degree in English Education and a minor in Counseling. Raeanne was offered a teaching position at Lafayette Jefferson High School in July of 2018 and served as director and sponsor of Jefferson Players from 2018 to 2023.
     She believes theatre is a place of empathy and expression: a place for students to explore new stories and learn more about themselves and the world. Raeanne wholeheartedly believes that theatre helps foster kindness and bravery--two traits that help create empathetic and well-rounded individuals. Her goal is to help her students become bolder, better, and kinder people through the magic of theatre.