Cold Comfort Productions presents Spider, a new play written and directed by Jude Benning. Spider was the runner-up Best Show at Bitesize Festival, Riverside Studios, February 2024.

'Whiplash' meets 'The Goonies'. Spider is an irreverent fast-paced romp with a deeply flawed character at its heart. It explores themes of authority, power and rebellion, set against a backdrop of shifting social values.

For years Frank Dowling has had his acting students in his thrall. But two decades after starring in the West End hit, Spider, his vigour is waning. Set in a London drama school, we watch his students develop over the course of a year, their training culminating in an improvisational game set in Epping Forest. Here, over a few hot days in June, the discipline learned in the rehearsal room rapidly starts to unravel.

“Spider has all the air of a work in progress and one to keep an eye on.”
Franco Milazzo, Broadway World

"Spider has an interesting plot, a fast tempo, it’s clever, it will make you laugh, and above all the actors are wonderful." Audience member, Riverside Studios