An honest, charming approach to modern theater, A Collection of One Acts is New York playwright Matthew McLachlan’s anthology of short plays and monologues dealing with the unifying thread among all the various interactions and experiences we endure as individuals: our humanity.
Examining hot-button issues like gender relations, delving into the fearful and grief-stricken recesses of the psyche, and poking fun at our dating frustrations at the hands of technology, these brief scenes and speeches are ideal projects for stage performers of all ages and identities.
Some, like the one-act play "Online Dates Are Hard to Handle," are organically and genuinely funny, striking a chord with the shared silliness of everyday life. Others, such as the monologue "Depression versus a Broken Heart," are driven by deeper, darker emotions that all of us must face at one time or another.
There is no common plot; there are no common characters. But all of these fantastic stories share one thing-they are universally, unequivocally human.