Former figure skater Christie Spessard showcases her first play, a dark comedy about four girls bonded by the intense world of competitive figure skating, at 59E59 Theatres for a preview performance before its official world premiere at Edinburgh Fringe.
As part of 59E59 Theatres’ annual East to Edinburgh Festival, the Dear Michelle Kwan preview offered its New York audience an early look at Christie Spessard’s original play before it travels overseas for its official world premiere at the 2026 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Running just under an hour, the fast-paced dark comedy blends sharp humor, physical movement, and theatrical absurdity into a story that examines the pressures young competitive athletes face both on and off the ice.
Christie Spessard stars as Marnina in a preview performance of Dear Michelle Kwan at 59E59 Theatres. (photo credit: Austin Patterson)
Drawing from her own experience as a competitive figure skater, Spessard explores the rituals, rivalries, and emotional intensity that define adolescence mixed with the physical and mental toll of extreme training. Set in the early 2010s, the play follows four teenage skaters preparing for their annual holiday exhibition while navigating an eccentric coach, mounting expectations, and the complicated social dynamics that unfold inside the girls locker room. As a snowstorm traps them inside the rink, their admiration for Olympic icon Michelle Kwan evolves into increasingly surreal rituals that blur the line between devotion, desperation, and fantasy.
Rather than treating competitive skating as simply a backdrop, Dear Michelle Kwan uses the sport to examine identity, perfectionism, and the unspoken bonds formed through shared ambition and trauma. Spessard’s script balances absurd comedy with genuine emotional vulnerability, allowing its heightened premise to remain grounded in recognizable experiences of adolescence and friendship.
Jasmyn Molaei (Eve) and Hannah Breshears (Iris) perform in Dear Michelle Kwan during a preview performance at 59E59 Theatres. (photo credit: Austin Patterson)
The cast embraces the production’s physical demands with infectious energy. Jasmyn Molaei, Skyler Sajewski, Hannah Breshears, Isabella Fay, and Spessard move seamlessly between comedy, stylized choreography, and emotionally-heightened scenes, creating a dynamic that captures both the camaraderie and competitiveness of elite youth athletics. Director Ryan Pangracs keeps the production moving seamlessly throughout scene and costume changes, while Kevin Malloy’s lighting design and Pangracs’ sound design help transform the intimate black box space into a world that feels both grounded and dreamlike.
Isabella Fay (Dahlia) and Skyler Sajewski (Courtney) perform in Dear Michelle Kwan during a preview performance at 59E59 Theatres. (photo credit: Austin Patterson)
Costume designer Chris G. Serano further distinguishes each character through unique, performance-ready athletic wear and imaginative competition costumes that reinforce the production’s playful theatricality while reflecting each skater’s personality.
Presented through Triple Lutz Productions, Dear Michelle Kwan serves as an impressive introduction to Spessard’s voice as a playwright. Equal parts satirical and sincere, the production embraces the specificity of competitive figure skating while speaking to broader themes of girlhood, obsession, and the search for belonging.
The cast of Dear Michelle Kwan takes the stage during a preview performance at 59E59 Theatres ahead of the production’s official world premiere at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. (photo credit: Austin Patterson)
As a preview engagement, the production offers audiences an opportunity to experience the play at an exciting moment in its development before Dear Michelle Kwan makes its official debut at this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe, where its distinctive blend of movement, comedy, and emotional honesty is destined to captive international audiences.
