WOOOO!

Hi Everyone!

Apologies for not updating this nearly as much as I’d like, but that’s because I’m busy doing good things! Pop over to my Instagram and get more up-to-date goodness!

Anyway! Just wanted to update you all on some incredible news. After submitting several times and even being a finalist before for another play, I was chosen as the Grand Prize Winner for ScreenCraft’s Playwriting Competition! WOOO! I am very excited as to what this will bring and I PROMISE I will keep you all updated. Love you and thank you so much for the support.

This G*d Damn Post!

Pretty cool when you get to type out that you have a play happening Off-Broadway, right? I don’t know, this is the first time it’s ever happened! But it’s happening, I have a full-length play Off-Broadway! It runs until April 8th with shows Wednesday - Sunday at 7pm with matinees on Saturdays at 2pm. Here’s the link:

Buy Your G*d Damn Tickets Here

I hope you all can make it out. It’s a special one.

Does anyone else have a website that they’re afraid to touch for some reason or am I just insane? ‘Cause I’ve got a TON of amazing things happening that I would love to share with people, but I feel like, “Nah. Can’t put that on my website or that’ll make me seem big-headed or ruin the esthetic.” Esthetic? I didn’t even know how to spell that word until just now let alone worry about what my esthetic was. Don’t worry, I’m in therapy, we’re working through it. Either way, I plan on updating this space at least once a month in the coming year. It’s on my to-do list so that means it HAS to get done or I drive myself crazy. Anyway, here’s a photo of me that I enjoy immensely from my wonderful friend David Zayas, Jr.

Talk soon, folks.

-Matthew

Updates

Well, dang. You make a post last week and then you realize it’s actually been 8 months. Lots of good things happening!

-I am officially an Artist in Residence for Abingdon Theatre Company for their upcoming 29th season.
-I have a staged reading of my brand new play The Demand of Avarice at The Chain Theatre in early October. More deets soon.
-An in-person workshop of my play This God Damn House in late October with some amazing actors that I admire.
-A one night only staged reading of my play Jack & Melissa with some AMAZING actors that I’ve always wanted to work with. Tickets will be available for that. Will keep you posted.
-My new podcast “Comic Booked! The Podcast” with my girlfriend Katie Sexton is taking off and we’re having a blast doing it! (Link in Media tab)
-Finishing up my first pilot. Think Stranger Things meets Fleabag but with the devil set in NJ. You’re welcome.
-I’ve been working with all sorts of actors to write scenes & monologues for their reels/auditions. Contact me for more info and pricing!
-Did a bit of a full-circle and did a workshop with the acting conservatory I graduated from, The Maggie Flanigan Studio. Very surreal and amazing. Hope to do it again.
-And finally, Katie and I adopted a cat who we named Linda! Never thought I’d be a cat-dad and now I would fist-fight anyone for this cat. Why would a cat make you do that? Don’t know, don’t care. I love this cat. Pictures, soon.

And that’s it! Hey. I appreciate you stopping by and reading all that. Sometimes it feels lame to tell everyone your accomplishments, but you need to see that you’re doing kick-ass stuff, so I appreciate the support. Here’s to more updates more frequently! Talk soon.

It's Been A While

Listen, I’m not gonna sugar-coat this, it’s been a freakin’ year. Excuse my language. One that, though incredibly difficult, has been very rewarding creatively, emotionally, and personally. There are countless things that could be their own update on this site, but seeing as this year really kicked everyone in the sweat pants, I didn’t get around to updating as frequently as I would’ve liked. So, here’s a quick list of some of the wonderful things that I was able to accomplish in 2020:

-Wrote 15+ articles for Spoiler Magazine (https://spoilermagazine.com/)

-Created a Podcast called “Comic Booked” with me lady which will be out later this month at www.comicconradio.com

-Finished the most personal piece of writing I’ve ever attempted with my play This God Damn House (see Plays)

-Started pre-production for my short film Gears.

-Chatted with some great producers and playwrights that I look up to.

-Wrote over a dozen scenes for actor’s reels.

-Put the foundation of a serious relationship together and worked on it every single day DURING A PANDEMIC!

-Drove cross country from Wisconsin to Pennsylvania.

-Adopted a cat. Her name is Linda.

-Wrote a new one-act and monologue for a play/monologue cycle I’ve been working on for years.

-Wrote half of a play before realizing it actually fits perfectly with a TV show idea I also started working on this year.

-And finally, got a sloppy first draft of a brand new play completed.

All of these things are less humble brags than they are me writing out what I’ve accomplished so I don’t beat myself up when I forget half of them and convince myself I’m lazy. Either way, this year has been a difficult one and the hardest one for some, but all of us should be proud of what we’ve accomplished, whether it be professional, personal, mental, or emotional, we’ve all gotten a lot stronger. I look forward to what this new year brings and to fill you all in as they happen and not wait 8 months to make a website post. Yikes, my bad. I wish you all the best 2021 and look forward to seeing you all in person when the time comes.

-Matt

The Unexpected and Other Things You Have To Pretend To Like

If you’re like me, you had all sorts these glorious plans for the near future, right? Amazing events you were looking forward to, special occasions with friends, even just the gloriously warm fact that springtime was arriving soon. And then the world went crazy and now all of our plans have been postponed or cancelled. Hey, I get it. My play The Murder Play with Jack & Melissa was about a week away from opening and we had to postpone it to a later date! Booooo. But, if you are also like me, you’re using this time for yourself. Whether that be being productive, taking a much needed time out, or working on those projects you always wish you had time to do. No matter what it is you’re up to during this time, you are not alone, and literally the entire world understands. Feel your feelings and do what you gotta do. I have been trying to help in any way I can by giving my actor (and even non-actor) friends some of my work to read and work on. So, if any of you are looking for some of my work to read, here is the link to my New Play Exchange profile in which you can read all of my plays and one-acts! You can also email me and I will send you monologues and more your way.
https://newplayexchange.org/users/8568/matthew-mclachlan

If you would like to read all of the articles I wrote for the brand new and official Comic Con Magazine, the digital edition to the full first issue is below. I have 7 different articles in there, so poke around and find the ones by me! Look wherever you see something Batman. I assure you the other articles (by some of my dear friends) are also very fun/funny.
https://comicconmagazine.com/digital-edition/

Feel free to reach out to me if you want/need anything. Seriously. That’s not lip-service. My email is mmclachlan123@gmail.com if you don’t want to jump over to the contact page. I’m here to chat and help you work through anything. Be well!

The Murder Play with Jack & Melissa!

I am very proud to announce that my play “The Murder Play with Jack & Melissa” will have 5 performances at The Access Theater on March 18th - 22nd! This is such a great feeling as I have been working on this play for over 3 years and am finally happy with where it is and the weird little nugget it has become. So many of my friends and colleagues have experienced some version of this play, but I promise you it has grown, matured, and has even more blood and gore than before. For those of you not familiar with this piece, it’s a gruesomely fun dark-comedy about a young woman who stumbles upon a Dexter-like serial killer in the place where he kills people…and he just wants a friend. It’s a lot of fun with a deep scoop of heart that I think you all will greatly enjoy! So come on out and see this wonderful production done by some of my favorite people on the planet! Get tickets here!

How To Enjoy the Uncomfortable Without Squirming Out of Your Chair and Hiding Forever.

Hello everyone! I know it’s been a few months, but I promise the updates will be coming to you fast and furious in the next few months as all of my projects in the pipeline are planning to drop between now and May! So much excite! I wanted to catch you all up on where I currently am in my artistic journey. I recently started a new play that is incredibly personal to me and has already helped me work through a lot of the darkest parts of my being. Historically, if I have ever written something deeply personal, I’ve always bedazzled it with humor while side-stepping the heaviest stuff and never really going for the jugular. This time, however, I decided to really go for it. I have been lucky to have been surrounded by some very integral and wonderful people throughout this process who have been incredibly supportive of me as I dive into this personal space. Below is a picture of some of my favourites helping me read brand new pages out loud and me squirming at the fact that this was being read out loud. So, with all that being said, I want to know how other people do it. Whether you’re a writer, actor, director, painter, creator of any kind, I want to know what you do when you unearth things that are deeply personal to you, how you work through those pockets of resistance, and other things that may be deeply uncomfortable to you. Message me in the contact section and I’d love to hear your thoughts! More on this new play and other projects coming soon! Stay tuned.

The New Play Fear

No matter how many plays I start, I always seem to have a period of time right before in which I’m filled with fear, which usually leads to procrastinating and many “almost” starts. It’s the creative version of running to jump in a pool but convincing yourself at the very last moment how freezing and uncomfortable the water will be, so you screech to a halt, much to the dismay of your feet. But then, eventually, something happens. Maybe you run a little too fast or you find a new pocket of courage somewhere within you and you finally jump in. Maybe the water does feel freezing and uncomfortable, but almost immediately, your body acclimates and the fear disappears. I have recently started a play that is incredibly personal to me which has caused me to do my running/screeching dance a lot more than I’m used to and it was starting to hurt. That’s because I know that the water for this one may never stop feeling uncomfortable. But, I’ve realized that perhaps this is exactly what I need as a writer, something challenging. And even though it may be uncomfortable, I still gotta find the joy in it anyway. Because one way or another, this play is getting written. All of this to say that I have officially jumped it. I’m freezing, uncomfortable, but I’m going to enjoy it as much as I can. The writing process for most people is always a personal one and we bring our lives at that very moment into each page we write as well as taking the writing we accomplish that day back into our lives. It’s cyclical. So please, if you see me around, know that your kind words and support go a long way, especially during the beginning phase of writing the darkest and most personal thing I have in my bones. I know, Mr. Funny Man is writing something dark. But, again, I appreciate everyone’s support and kindness always, especially in the coming months. I love you all!

"Orion" is Out and Available Now!

My play “Orion” is out now and available for purchase on Amazon! Click here to check it out or go to the Store tab. It’s a pretty great feeling to finish a play. Watching it be produced and performed is even better. But to hold the published version of your play in your hands?! That’s a very difficult feeling to describe. I’d imagine it feels a little like holding your newborn child, except this one poops a lot less. I am incredibly proud and eternally grateful to have this play out and available for everyone to experience and I hope you get the chance to read it!