The Best Damn Thing

by Hanna Kime

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...

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.

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The Best Damn Thing

Recommended by

  • Kayla Menz: The Best Damn Thing by Hanna Kime
    “

    Such a smart and powerful show! The messy reality of teenage girl friendship and the heartbreak that goes along with that balances with the out of this world punk-pop-princess play within the play to create something extraordinary.

    Such a smart and powerful show! The messy reality of teenage girl friendship and the heartbreak that goes along with that balances with the out of this world punk-pop-princess play within the play to create something extraordinary.

    ”
  • Jillian Leff: The Best Damn Thing by Hanna Kime
    “

    I have never felt so seen. This play accurately portrays the earnest cringe of being a teenage artist, the heartbreak of ex-best friends, and the nostalgia of the 2010s. The "show within a show" plot brings out some of the play's most laugh out loud moments, while the "reality" plot hit me right in the gut. This is such a well-crafted show that I would highly recommend to literally anyone.

    I have never felt so seen. This play accurately portrays the earnest cringe of being a teenage artist, the heartbreak of ex-best friends, and the nostalgia of the 2010s. The "show within a show" plot brings out some of the play's most laugh out loud moments, while the "reality" plot hit me right in the gut. This is such a well-crafted show that I would highly recommend to literally anyone.

    ”
  • Alex Paredes-Ruíz: The Best Damn Thing by Hanna Kime
    “

    A beautifully raw, theatrical piece that captures the challenge of teenage girls attempting to not only make sense of their world but also of themselves. Hanna Kime's witty and referential language creates a vivid world that is known all too well to audiences familiar (and frankly caught in) with the emerging digital subcultures of Tumblr/Twitter during the late 2000s/early 2010s. It's queer, it's fun, and it's so realy. I truly felt so enamored by THE BEST DAMN THING in a way that everyone should experience.

    A beautifully raw, theatrical piece that captures the challenge of teenage girls attempting to not only make sense of their world but also of themselves. Hanna Kime's witty and referential language creates a vivid world that is known all too well to audiences familiar (and frankly caught in) with the emerging digital subcultures of Tumblr/Twitter during the late 2000s/early 2010s. It's queer, it's fun, and it's so realy. I truly felt so enamored by THE BEST DAMN THING in a way that everyone should experience.

    ”
View all 9 recommendations

Character Information

  • Ellie
    16
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Teens,
      20s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Woman
  • Rachel
    16
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Teens,
      20s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Woman

Development History

  • Reading, UP Theater, 2021
  • Reading, First Floor Theater, 2020
  • Workshop, The New Colony, 2019

Production History

  • Fringe, The Understudy Coffee and Books, 2024

Awards