Welcome to Script 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 Stranger. The downloaded PDF also includes supplemental classroom activities to help you connect the play’s themes and characters with your students.
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Trust Issues: Stranger Danger in the Digital Age
By Azrael Thomas
When I first conceived Stranger, I was struck by the idea of how much our lives revolve around trust—particularly in spaces where we know nothing about the people around us. In a city like Chicago, the Red Line train is a quintessential example of this dynamic. Every day, people from all walks of life cram into these cars, existing shoulder-to-shoulder without ever really connecting. The idea of sharing that confined space with strangers—and the fragile balance of trust it demands—became the foundation for my play.
But as I developed the story, I realized that trust isn’t just an issue in physical spaces. Today, trust is something we constantly negotiate online. Who do we believe? What information is real? In Stranger, I wanted to explore how these questions play out in both worlds, highlighting the tension between anonymity, suspicion, and our innate need for connection.
The Thin Line Between Trust and Fear
The passengers in Stranger are strangers in every sense of the word. They know nothing about each other, and yet they’re forced into a situation where their lives depend on collaboration and honesty. But what happens when you can’t trust the person next to you—or when the trust you place in someone is betrayed?
Take Bundy, for example. His infatuation with Laura isn’t just a typical crush; it’s built on manipulation. By impersonating Laura’s ex-boyfriend Khan online, Bundy inserts himself into her life through lies and deceit. This dynamic mirrors real-world digital dangers like catfishing, where people create false identities to exploit others. When Laura discovers the truth, Bundy’s mask falls away, exposing the darker consequences of misplaced trust.
At the same time, Khan’s character embodies the lingering wounds of betrayal. His relationship with Laura was already fraught with conflict, and his inability to let go drives much of his anger and impulsive behavior. Both characters are caught in a cycle of mistrust that speaks to how fragile and destructive human connections can be when built on falsehoods.
The Red Line as a Digital Microcosm
The setting of the play—a halted Red Line train car—is as much a character as the passengers themselves. Trains are spaces of forced intimacy, where people who might never cross paths are suddenly thrown together. This sense of randomness and confinement mirrors the digital world, where platforms like social media bring strangers into our lives in unpredictable ways.
But there’s a duality to these spaces. Just as online anonymity can be a shield for some and a weapon for others, the train’s close quarters both protect and endanger the characters in Stranger. Anne, the true-crime podcaster, serves as a stand-in for the audience, questioning everything and everyone. Her role highlights the difficulty of discerning truth from lies—a challenge that resonates deeply in today’s digital landscape.
Reflections for the Classroom
One of the things I hope students take away from Stranger is an awareness of how trust operates in their own lives. Whether in person or online, trust is a fragile thing, and its loss can have profound consequences.
For teachers, I suggest starting a discussion with these questions:
- How do the characters decide who to trust on the train?
- What makes people act suspicious of each other in the play?
- Anne tries to figure out the truth about what happened. What strategies does she use?
- Have you ever had to decide whether to trust someone? What helped you make your choice?
- If you were in a situation like the characters on the train, what would make you trust—or not trust—someone?
As an activity, challenge students to brainstorm ways to verify someone’s identity or intentions in both digital and physical interactions. What tools or strategies do they use to navigate these situations?
Final Thoughts
At its core, Stranger is a story about trust—and what happens when it breaks down. By exploring the characters’ struggles with truth, deception, and connection, I hope to spark conversations about how we navigate relationships in an increasingly interconnected, and often anonymous, world.