Cast: 4m., 6w. (1m., 4w. With doubling, extras.) Sixteen-year-old Gillian is a "dag"—a nerd, a misfit, totally uncool—who sees herself as fat, ugly and a social cripple. Throughout this play, commissioned by the Canberra Youth Theatre specifically for teenagers, Gillian takes us on a funny, excruciating journey through the world of adolescent anguish and awkwardness. She finds it hard to cope with her bright gung-ho sister, who is not only totally together physically, but also has a bouncy, positive mental attitude; her gossipy girlfriends; her addiction to chocolate; and her desperate quest to be beautiful and popular. So when she develops a crush on the school heartthrob and finds herself on a blind date with a mega-dag, Gillian feels pushed to the edge. But in a surprise ending, Gillian triumphs with an exhilarating moment of self-awareness and confidence. The critic for the Sydney Morning Herald called this play, "...a celebration of survival... a paean to self-reliance and self-respect. It is scalding about life's bullies and affectionate about its dags. It is a slice of life that cuts deep." Area staging.