The Understudy Present Premiere Production Of THE BEST DAMN THING By Hanna Kime

The Understudy will produce the premiere production of The Best Damn Thing by Hanna Kime, directed by Grace Dolezal-Ng with music by Chicago indie-rock musician Sara Geist and lyrics by Sara Geist and Hanna Kime. This groundbreaking interdisciplinary pop-up performance will run from January 25- February 5, 2024. Tickets on sale now at theunderstudy.com/events.

It's summer of 2011, and Ellie, an awkward 16-year-old, has written what she believes to be a groundbreaking new musical inspired by the early discography of Avril Lavigne. She has invited Rachel, her much cooler ex-best friend and their theatre teacher's favorite, to her house to pitch the show in hopes that Rachel can convince him to program it for their spring musical. Over the course of one evening of workshopping, the two girls rekindle their friendship and reopen old wounds. The Best Damn Thing is a piercing and boldly theatrical exploration of what it means to be a teenage girl in a world that refuses to take you seriously.

"Even without ever having had a production, I've gotten so many emails from teenage girls who've found this play online and felt seen by it. I wrote The Best Damn Thing for the girl I used to be, who never felt authentically represented in any of the media she grew up with," shares playwright Hanna Kime. "Nothing makes me happier than the fact that other girls have connected with the script in such a meaningful way."

The cast features Elisabeth Del Toro (Ellie), Maya Hlava (Rachel), Jordan Levene (u/s Ellie), Ruby Gibson (u/s Rachel).

The creative team includes Grace Dolezal-Ng (Director), Sara Geist (Composer./Music Director), Danny Fender (Producer/Associate Director), Adam Crawford (Producer), Jessica Van Winkle (Costume Design), Katelyn Le-Thompson (Lighting Design), Hunter Leach (Sound Design), Kayla Menz (Intimacy Design), Vince De Re (Drums), Steve Schaeffer (Bass) and Tariq Shihadah (Guitar).

Hear from the Creative Team

Hanna Kime, Playwright:

"This is one of my most personal plays, and I'm so glad to be able to bring it to life with collaborators who I trust and respect so deeply. It has been a joy to collaborate with Sara on the songwriting, I'm so impressed by Grace's empathy for these characters and vision for this production, and I feel so lucky to be producing this with Danny and Adam, whose attention to detail and passion for this work have elevated this production in ways I never thought possible. Audiences are going to be shocked by what this team will achieve in this space."

Grace Dolezal-Ng, Director:

"The Best Damn Thing honors the hugeness of the feelings we feel as teenagers in a way that we can laugh with our characters rather than ridicule them and intensely feel their loneliness with them. The dialogue is both incredibly effervescent and deeply grounded and specific. We get to experience a world crafted by the unbridled imagination of a young, passionate mind through a play-within-a-play. It's got original, rockin' music played by a kickass band. It's funny as hell.

I'm excited to work on a process very collaborative and almost grassroots in nature. Here we've got a group of passionate twenty-somethings who want to produce a new work in an unconventional space and create a viscerally moving theatrical experience for audiences. We're figuring out how the heck we're going to make that happen with the resources and time we've got, and as a result, we're operating in a space of pure imagination and dedicated collaboration. It's an utterly fresh and deeply moving theatrical experience that I am thrilled to be a part of."

Sara Geist, Music:

"The Understudy has already become such a beautiful pillar of the theatre community, and I've had a great love and respect for Hanna Kime's playwriting - The Best Damn Thing in particular - for many years. It's been a joy to collaborate on the music for this piece, fans of Avril will hear her influence, and everyone will get something fresh and fun to enjoy."

Adam Crawford and Danny Fender, Producers:

"In keeping with The Understudy's commitment to collaboration, community, and discovery, we are delighted to produce the premiere production of The Best Damn Thing by Hanna Kime. This play is a scrappy, explosive expression of all the messiness of growing up, with the attitude and camp of aughts Avril Lavigne. It is hilarious, real, and moving. With pitch-perfect new music and an exciting creative team, The Best Damn Thing is a perfect fit for The Understudy's first fully staged production."

About the Understudy:

The Understudy Coffee and Books is a hybrid specialty coffee shop and theatre bookstore established in 2023. Owned and operated by two passionate theatre artists, The Understudy is dedicated to fostering discovery, community, and collaboration every day. With over 3000 titles on our shelves and a breadth of coffee knowledge behind our bar, there's always something worth uncovering at The Understudy. For more information, visit theunderstudy.com, or email us at hello@theunderstudy.com. Follow us on instagram @theunderstudychi

Performance Details: 

Title: The Best Damn Thing

Written by: Hanna Kime

Directed by: Grace Dolezal- Ng

Music by: Sara Geist

Lyrics by: Hanna Kime and Sara Geist

Dates:

Performances begin January 25, 2024

No Performance January 26, 2024

Opening: Saturday, January 27 at 8:00pm

Industry Nights: Monday, January 29 and Monday February 5 at 7:30pm

Understudy Performance: Tuesday, January 30 at 7:30pm

Schedule: Thursday: 7:30pm

Friday- Sunday: 8:00pm

Location: The Understudy Coffee and Books

5531 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60640

Tickets available at www.theunderstudy.com/events. $25 regular run, $10 understudy performance

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