Shay Mace
Four teen figure skaters rehearse for their annual holiday show, led by a bizarre and obsessive coach, praying every day to acclaimed figure skater Michelle Kwan. A blizzard traps them in their ice rink, and they begin to lose their grip on reality. Christie Spessard’s dark comedy Dear Michelle Kwan arrives at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe next month, inspired by her own experiences growing up as a teen figure skater. We caught up with her for a pixelated pint to chat about what she calls the ‘beauty and brutality’ of girlhood in hyper-competitive sports.
You can catch Dear Michelle Kwan at Studio at theSpaceTriplex on August 7th – 29th (not the 16th or 23rd) from 15:05 (50mins). Tickets are available through theSpaceUK Online Box Office.
Shay: Hi Christie – your piece explores both the beauty and brutality of girlhood in hyper-competitive aesthetic sports, namely figure skating. Tell us about what inspired you to create the piece and why you’re telling this story now.
Christie: I was a figure skater growing up, and my play, Dear Michelle Kwan, is about that part of my childhood. I woke up at 5 a.m. to skate before school, spent weekends at competitions, and counted down the days until our annual skating show. I got to spend every day with my best friends (and sometimes biggest bullies) doing the thing I loved (and sometimes hated) the most. Every year, the show had a different theme, but all were variations of very illegal Broadway productions on ice. Although we were rehearsing for shows like Finding Nemo on ice, we were made to feel like our lives depended on the show being a success.
Every show season was marked by Broadway songs and glitter, but also getting screamed at, body shamed, having our injuries discounted, and being pitted against one another. I stepped away from skating and into theatre as I entered adulthood, but had a lot to unpack. I started writing Dear Michelle Kwan to process, but it gradually became something much bigger. The play is campy, absurd, and funny, but underneath the comedy is a conversation about the strange environments we create for young athletes.
Shay: How has the creative process been of putting the show together? Give us an idea of the journey you’ve been on with it so far.
Christie: This show has been super collaborative since the beginning. The first draft was read aloud in my living room in early 2025, and all of the artists from those first few readings are still part of the project today. The great thing about working with a group of creatives who all have faith in each other is that everyone feels comfortable contributing ideas that help evolve the piece into what it is today.
The script changed in many small ways as we blocked and reblocked, but since everyone has been involved since the project’s inception, the spirit of the piece is still strong and contains little bits of all of us. The original script was nearly ninety minutes long, so we had to make some painful cuts. There were storylines and character moments we loved that ultimately had to go so the play could become sharper and more focused.
Shay: What will be the first thing the audience sees, feels, and hears as they enter the space?
Christie: When audiences enter the space, they will see four figure skaters warming up, doing jumping jacks while ritualistically invoking the spirit of Michelle Kwan. They will hear early 2010s music mixed with more ominous beats, which will transport many audience members back to their adolescence.
Shay: What are you hoping the audience might take away from the experience, if anything?
Christie: I hope to make people laugh. Laughter is incredibly healing, and I like to think that our show, a 50-minute sketch comedy piece, offers this healing experience. If people come away with a few questions and thoughts about the pressure we place on children in pursuit of excellence, that is also great.
Shay: What journey has the show been on to find itself at EdFringe 2026?
Christie: Dear Michelle Kwan started as a collection of memories from my skating childhood. In 2025, I finally committed to turning those memories into a play. After a series of readings and a staged reading later that year, we realized audiences were connecting with it in ways we hadn’t expected. Edinburgh felt like the natural next step. We are also preparing for our sold-out New York preview at 59E59’s East to Edinburgh Festival in July. We’re excited to share the piece with our New York community before bringing it to Scotland.
Shay: With Edinburgh Fringe now just around the corner, what are you most excited for?
Christie: I’m looking forward to seeing what resonates with people. The most exciting part of the Fringe is the diversity of the audience. There are parts of our show I know will ring true for some, and others will walk out wondering what just happened. We want to meet as many people as we can, see as many shows as possible, and learn as much as our rotted brains will allow. Also, we want to see the cows!
Shay: Given the themes of Binge Fringe, if your show was a beverage of any kind (alcoholic, non-alcoholic – be as creative as you like!), what would it be and why?
Christie: Our show would be a bedazzled thermos filled with vodka that an adult smuggles into their kid’s skating show disguised as coffee.
A reminder, you can catch Dear Michelle Kwan at Studio at theSpaceTriplex on August 7th – 29th (not the 16th or 23rd) from 15:05 (50mins). Tickets are available through theSpaceUK Online Box Office.
Salvador Kent
