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 reflections 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.
Here, you’ll find a downloadable blog post offering powerful insights from Madeleine Adriance, author of SPIDER. The PDF also includes short classroom-ready activities to help students engage with the article’s central ideas in a personal and meaningful way.
Be sure to download this free resource by clicking the button above!
We’re excited to share the latest entry in our Author Insights series: “You Always Have a Choice”: Life-Giving Connection Amidst the Deadly Horrors of Online Life in SPIDER by playwright Madeleine Adriance
In this bold, clear-eyed piece, Adriance unpacks the emotional and cultural terrain behind SPIDER, a play that explores the surreal reality of growing up in a world shaped by school shootings, social media algorithms, and the ache to be understood.
Writing with a rare mix of urgency and compassion, Adriance asks the hard questions that define this generation: Why are we so desensitized to violence? What does it mean to be “seen” in the age of constant performance? Can connection survive in a culture that prizes clicks over care?
She traces the surreal horror of algorithm-driven children’s content and the real, ongoing trauma of gun violence, asking not just how we live with these forces, but whether we can still find something human, hopeful, and life-affirming within them. SPIDER, she suggests, isn’t just about grief or violence; it’s about the quiet bravery of choosing connection anyway.
Whether you're teaching the play or simply seeking to better understand the digital and emotional worlds young people now inhabit, Adriance’s essay is a vital companion to the script and a moving meditation in its own right.
Let us know how you use this resource in your classroom and how your students respond to its haunting, hopeful questions.