Welcome to Author Insights! Ever wonder what goes on in the mind of a playwright? In this series, you get a rare and exciting opportunity to hear directly from the authors themselves. Each article offers personal insights from the playwright, giving you a behind-the-scenes look at the creative process, character motivations, and thematic explorations that bring their scripts to life.
Below, you’ll find a downloadable blog post offering valuable insights directly from the author of Unprotected Text. The downloaded PDF also includes supplemental classroom activities to help you connect the play’s themes and characters with your students.
Be sure to download this resource by clicking the button above!
We’re excited to share the latest addition to our Author Insights series with The Exposed Heart: A Dramatist’s Take on Teenagers, Technology, and Trust by playwright Michèle Aldin Kushner.
In this thoughtful and deeply personal piece, Kushner reflects on the inspiration behind Unprotected Text, a play about first love, digital intimacy, and what happens when private moments go painfully public. As a parent and a writer, she grapples with the emotional and legal gray areas teens face when growing up with smartphones—and why she felt compelled to dramatize a world where affection, curiosity, and connection can so easily spiral into criminal charges.
Kushner doesn’t shy away from the hard questions. Why do we give kids powerful tools with no roadmap? What is the line between expression and exploitation? And how can adults remember the vulnerability—and intensity—of being sixteen?
Whether you’re teaching the play, directing it, or simply seeking to understand the complicated world today’s teens navigate, The Exposed Heart is a poignant window into the choices and convictions behind the script.