Yes, local playwright Jess Mason belongs to a book club.

And she gave the name of her real-life club — Hot Girls Read — to a club that exists in her short play, which is one of seven one-acts that Diva Productions will present Jan. 29 through Feb. 1 at the Olde Brick Theatre in Scranton.

“There is a twist. It’s definitely dark humor,” said Mason, who is director as well as playwright of “Book Club.”

The one-act focuses on a lonely, single mom who joins three other women in a club. The other members have already read the self-help book “Untamed” by Glennon Doyle, which “really makes the women take a look at their own lives and see if they’re satisfied.”

If they’re not satisfied, they might take some sort of action.

Could it be some sort of criminal activity?

“Potentially,” Mason said.

Who knows what might go on behind the scholarly trappings of a book club?

And who knows what might really be going on behind the veneer of a happy All-American family? That’s the premise of “Fostered Ideal,” written by local playwright Brad Vile and directed by Diva Theatre board member David Hunisch.

“On the outside, this mother, daughter, son and father seem like the perfect American family,” Hunisch said of the four characters in Vile’s one-act. “They might remind you of ‘The Donna Reed Show’ or ‘Leave It To Beaver.’ The family has learned a specific way of speaking to other people that projects a facade. It’s very friendly, very happy, and very practiced.”

“We see what’s going on underneath.”

For this year’s Festival of One-Acts, Hunisch said, Diva solicited scripts and received “about 30 or 40,” which were winnowed down to the seven that will be presented.

Most of the playwrights are from the area, Mason said. “It’s a really nice blend of celebrating local talent and also connecting with artists and playwrights from all over the country.”

As a group, Diva Productions folks seem to have confidence in each other.

“I cast actresses that I trust,” Mason said of the four cast members in her play. “They are amazing performers with really good intuition. I want to give them some autonomy over the characters.”

“Brad and I had a conversation,” Hunisch said of the writer whose play he is directing. “We’re basically on the same page. He’s gonna let me roll with it.”

In addition to “Book Club” and “Fostered Ideal,” the other plays that make up the Festival of One-Acts are:

“A Series of Unfortunate Men,” written and directed by Ryan Jay, in which the best friend of a newly single woman drags her out to meet a new man.

“The Back Porch,” written and directed by Gina Morrison, in which two widows meet by chance in a cemetery and reminisce about their very different experiences of marriage.

“It’s Not What it Looks Like!” written by Ava Love Hanna and directed by Gary Rozman, is a slapstick comedy in which misunderstandings abound.

“Little Black Dress,” written by John Mabey and directed by Leba Lanton, in which a married couple grapples with a big secret when the wife discovers a little black dress that does not belong to her.

“Thank You, Five,” written by Meggie Roche and directed by Brink Powell, in which a community theater cast is perplexed because “they have to hold the curtain for … a dog?”

Show dates for the festival, which includes adult themes, are 7:30 p.m. Jan. 29, 30, and 31 and 2 p.m. Feb. 1 at the Olde Brick Theatre, 126 West Market St., Scranton. General admission is $15. Tickets for students, seniors and veterans are $12.

Reservations can be made by calling 570-209-7766.