Join us for our first Commons’ event of Season 41 – a live concert reading.
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.
Friday, July 31 @ 7:00 PM
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
HANNA KIME she/her (playwright) is a Jeff-Nominated Chicago-based playwright and screenwriter originally from St. Louis, Missouri. Her full-length work has been presented with companies such as Benson Drive Productions, the Goodman, Berkeley Rep, St. Louis Shakespeare Festival, Dacha, Steep, [producingbody], Bramble, Sideshow, where she was an ensemble member, First Floor, where she previously served as Literary Manager, among others. Recent Chicago productions include THE TARGETED at A Red Orchid Theatre, DOGS at Red Theater, and THE BEST DAMN THING at The Understudy: Coffee and Books. Kime is a two-time O’Neill Finalist, a Seven Devils Finalist, was the winner of OKC Rep’s New Voices Contest, and has been named a semifinalist for the Bay Area Playwrights Festival, Ashland New Play Festival, and Premiere Stages Play Festival. She holds degrees from the University of Chicago in English and Gender and Sexuality Studies. She is represented by UTA and managed by Curate.
ELYSE DOLAN (director) is a proud ensemble member of American Blues Theater, where she is also the Associate Artistic Director. Favorite directing credits include Come Back, Little Sheba at American Blues Theater, the Chicago premiere of If/Then at Brown Paper Box Co. and Blackbird at Blank Theatre Company. Her work as a director and/or assistant director has also been seen at Raven Theatre, Redtwist Theatre, The New Coordinates, Babes with Blades, Oracle Theatre, Broken Nose Theatre, Prop Thtr, Commission Theatre, and more. She is a frequently a guest director for Remy Bumppo Theatre Company’s “Master Class: Scene Study” class. Elyse holds a B.A. in English Literature and Theatre from Denison University.
MAYA LOU HLAVA (Rachel) is a proud artistic affiliate of American Blues Theater. She is thrilled to be returning to American Blues Theater. She was previously seen in Come Back Little Sheba, Things With Friends. Additional Chicago credits include, Father of the Bride, Little Mermaid, Christmas Carol, Shrek, White Christmas and Bye Bye Birdie (Drury Lane Theater); Prayer for the French Republic (Northlight Theatre); The Penelopiad (Goodman Theatre); Happy Days Are Here (Again) and Zurich (Steep Theatre); The Best Damn Thing (The Understudy Cafe); Dory Fantasmagory and Last Stop On Marketplace (YPPT/Greenhouse Theater); Spring Awakening (Porchlight Theater); Act 5, The Killing Game and The Nether (A Red Orchid Theatre); Oklahoma (Marriott Theatre); Violet (Griffin Theater); Trevor (Writers Theatre); The Secret Garden (Court Theatre); The Wheel (Steppenwolf Theatre); Film and Television Credits include Will Trent, The Perpetrator, Chicago Med, The Chi, and The Big Leap. Maya is represented by Stewart Talent.
ELISABETH DEL TORO she/her (Ellie) Chicago credits include DOGS (Red Theater), The Best Damn Thing (Understudy Coffee and Books), The Ballad of Lefty and Crabbe (Underscore Theatre) and Parachute Men (Teatro Vista). Elisabeth has a background in improv and sketch comedy, and degrees from the University of Chicago and the University of Glasgow. Represented by Grossman and Jack Talent. More at elisabethdeltoro.com.
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LIZ CHIDESTER (co–music director) is a proud ensemble member of American Blues Theater! American Blues credits: Always…Patsy Cline, Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story. Other theatre credits: Lizzie, Queen of the Mist, Always, Patsy Cline (Firebrand Theatre – Company Member), The Old Man and the Old Moon, Phantom Folktales (PigPen Theatre Co./KC Rep), Así Canta Federico (Teatro La Tea NYC), Sundown, Yellow Moon (Raven Theatre), High Fidelity (Refuge Theatre Co.), Big River, Pumpboys and the Dinettes (Theatre at the Center), Frederick (Chicago Children’s Theatre) Ring of Fire (Mercury Theatre) Stupid F***ing Bird (Sideshow Theatre Co). Liz is an award winning singer/songwriter, actor, and teaching artist originally from the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia. She was a teaching artist for almost a decade at the Old Town School of Folk Music. She now resides in NYC and has performed in various cities throughout Europe and South America. www.lizandthelovelies.com
DIÓN MORALES (guitar) was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, where he lives with his wife and two daughters. He began playing guitar at the age of 10 and later began his orchestral studies as a high school student at Lane Tech College Prep High School in the Chicago Public Schools system. Dión received his undergraduate degree in music education from VanderCook College of Music in 2010 and returned to VanderCook for his master’s degree, which he completed in 2021. He has taught elementary and middle school orchestra in Des Plaines School District 62 since 2010. Since 2024, he has also served as an adjunct professor of String Arranging at VanderCook College of Music. His journey as a composer and arranger began with the development of the “Composers of Color Project,” through which he arranged music by underrepresented composers for school orchestra programs. The publication of works from this project led to opportunities to contribute his own musical ideas to the orchestral repertoire, including original educational compositions and music for various media projects. In addition to writing, Dión has extensive experience bringing music to publication through his work as an editor, engraver, layout artist, and product designer. Dión has had the honor of serving as a judge, guest conductor, and clinician across the United States, where he draws upon his experience as an educator to provide students with positive and memorable musical experiences. His complete catalog, résumé, and contact information can be found at dionmorales.com.
MIA PARK (drums) is thrilled to perform at American Blues Theater for the first time. Mia is a multi-dimensional artist and health care provider based in Chicago. Boundless enthusiasm fuels her community engagement as an actor, hospice nurse, taiji and yoga teacher, cultural producer, and professor. Mia is passionate about facilitating grassroots projects that connect people and experiences. Acting credits include five seasons of Chicago Med NBC TV, Goodman Theatre, Court Theatre. @miaparkmiapark miapark.com
LAUREN VOGEL (co-music director, bass) is an award winning actor and musician based in Chicago, IL and originally from St. Louis, Missouri. She is thrilled to be back at American Blues Theater where she was just seen as Ray Bob (fiddle) in Always…Patsy Cline, The AmBlue Jubilee, and in the Jeff Award-winning ensemble of Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story. She has performed previously at A Red Orchid Theatre, American Repertory Theatre, Pasadena Playhouse, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Steppenwolf Garage, The Hypocrites, Feinstein’s/54 Below, Trap Door Theatre, The Getty Villa, Chicago Children’s Theatre, and more. She has spent the past five years in LA writing, acting, and producing. She is represented by The Daniel Hoff Agency and AEFH.