Matthew McLachlan is an award-winning playwright based in New York City. His plays include: The Murder Play with Jack & Melissa, Orion, The Place We Are Meant to Be, Coyote, Guardian, Online Dates Are Hard to Handle, and Men’s Monthly, among others. His plays have been presented by Nylon Fusion, The NOW Collective, The Farm Theater, The PIT, Thespis Theater Festival, New Works Festival, The Midnight Factory and performed regionally in Kentucky, Massachusetts, Wyoming & Florida. He is the resident playwright for The Midnight Factory, a Pulse Ensemble Theatre member, and a Wynn Handman playwright in observance. Other credits include: Nominated for Best Writer of a Web-Series (ADULTish), The Roast of Michael Musto (Head-Writer), & his published works A Collection of One-Acts & Other Things You May or May Not Enjoy and full-length play Orion are available now on Amazon.
Plays
(FULL LENGTH. 90 MIN)
Sam and Gwen can't quite make their relationship, or their break up, work. While their closest friends seem to have everything figured out, they struggle to find their role in each other's lives. It's the ultimate battle of head versus heart while capturing the emotions and confusion that accompany young love.
(ONE-ACT. 30 MIN)
On his last day of his court-ordered anger management counseling, Frank Fatico, known muscle for the mob, goes in with high spirits, having just been told that he will get visitation rights with his infant son when the course is signed off and complete. Things come to a head when his counselor, Crispin Abbott, refuses to sign the release form until Frank faces the demons he has buried within himself and confronts the reason he is in counseling in the first place.
(ONE-ACT. 25 MIN)
The monthly gathering for the Delegation of United Men is going about their regularly scheduled activities and announcements until the head speaker informs them that a guest from the Coalition of Organized Women is expected to address them. As she does, the back and provides a comedic reflection on societal concerns faced by both genders, putting a mirror up to real issues we face every day and letting us laugh together.
(ONE-ACT. 15 MIN)
As two buddies meet up after work to talk about their lives and a recent date, what ensues is a comedic and thoughtful treatise on modern dating as the audience is left to ponder our own standards, insecurities, and inability to get out of our own way to let ourselves be happy.
(ONE-ACT. 12 MIN)
After Erica finally says those three little words to Allan, he doesn't respond the way she thought he would. What transpires is a funny, real, and touching exploration of the different ways we communicate our feelings.
In a cabin, on a mountain, during a rainstorm, Melissa wakes up to find herself tied to a chair and in the company of a kind-hearted serial killer named Jack...and he just wants a friend. This gruesome comedy explores the outrageous things we do to not feel so lonely and the outrageous people we encounter along the way.
Successes
"Orion" had its world premiere Off-Broadway at Theatre Row in February of 2017.