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Capture the magic of the holiday season as The Gateway magically transforms the playhouse’s stage into a true ice rink for The Gateway’s Holiday Spectacular on Ice with two-time Olympic figure skating star Nancy Kerrigan! Opens Friday, November 28, 2025, and runs through January 4, 2026.
The Gateway’s Holiday Spectacular on Ice brings beloved holiday songs to life while emphasizing the beauty, grace, and artistry of figure skating. Featuring show-stopping singers and skaters, and astonishing performance artistry, this family-friendly musical celebration is quite literally the “coolest” show for all ages this season.
A Holiday Tradition – Elevated
The Gateway, known for its musical productions, transforms its stage into an ice rink with REAL ICE. The “coolest” show of the season is created using specialized equipment purchased and a careful, layered construction process developed after years of producing ice shows in its Broadway-caliber theater.
How does it all begin? First, the crew cleans the stage and builds a four-inch-high wooden perimeter around the area where the rink will be. A protective liner of 6-mil plastic is laid down, followed by two-inch-thick foam to help level the floor and prevent heat from rising from underneath. Another layer of plastic is added on top of the foam. Rubber mats, embedded with a series of small tubes, are placed on the final layer of plastic. These tubes are connected to large hoses that run off-stage, outside the building, to a massive chilling unit in the parking lot.
The chilling unit pumps a super-cooled mixture of water and glycol (antifreeze) through the tubes in the rubber mats, bringing their temperature down to about 11°F. The crew then uses a standard garden hose to spray a very thin layer of water over the chilled mats. This thin coat allows the water to freeze quickly. They wait 10 to 15 minutes for the initial layer to freeze solid. Finally, this process is repeated, adding thin layers of water one by one. This gradual layering continues until the ice reaches the desired thickness of approximately 3 inches. The entire building process takes about 12 hours to complete.
Skating Royalty Takes The Gateway Stage
With ice on stage, then come the skaters, like NANCY KERRIGAN, host and one of the many featured skaters of Holiday Spectacular on Ice! Nancy Kerrigan has been one of America’s most recognizable sports icons for over 25 years. Her rise to competing at a national level began when she placed 3rd at the 1991 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, allowing her to qualify for the 1991 World Championships, where she won the bronze medal as part of an American sweep.
In 1992, she earned a bronze medal in the Albertville Winter Olympics and a silver medal at the 1992 World Championships. In 1993, Kerrigan became the United States Ladies Champion and followed that up with her historic silver medal performance at the 1994 Lillehammer Winter Olympics.
This year’s production couldn’t come at a more perfect time — with the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics less than three months away, and the excitement for American figure skating reaching inspiring new heights.
Carrying an even more special meaning for Long Island audiences: ALEX HUGHES PARKER, one of the show’s standout ensemble performers, brings with her a legacy unlike any other – a story so deeply woven into the very fabric of U.S. figure skating and with roots that run straight through Long Island. Alex is the eldest daughter of REBECCA HUGHES and the niece of Olympic Champion SARAH HUGHES and Olympic Competitor EMILY HUGHES, making her part of one of the most iconic families in American figure skating history.
In addition to Kerrigan and Parker, Holiday Spectacular on Ice will feature world-class figure skaters and singers. The cast includes lead singers ZION MIDDLETON, TYLER SHORE, American Idol Top 40 contestant SHANNON GIBBONS, and JENNIFER BRETT.
Featured skaters will be MARINA NELSON, RACHEL THOMAS, COURTNEY HICKS, ALIVIA SIGNORIO, GIAVANNA NERI, KAYLEIGH LINKOUS, DAYRON TONDIKE, AARON J GUTMAN, and ALLEN SHANNON. Featured pair skaters will be LAURA SEAL alongside IAN LORELLO, and ANITA HARTSHORN with FRANK SWEIDING. Featured youth skaters will be GABRIELLE FREEMAN, REESE WUSTENHOFF. MACKENZIE ROWAN, and ALEXANDRA BOUTCHATSKI.
Holiday Spectacular on Ice will have a singing youth ensemble that features SONNIE BETTS, SOFIA DA COSTA-WILSON, GAVIN GRONENTHAL, AVERY DAWSON, CHASE PETRUCCI, ELLA ROGACKI, KYLE WALTERS, ABIGAIL PIROZZI, ROSALIE KUBACKI, ANTHONY SCHEIFELE, EMILIA GILLIGAN, JULIUS LOVELACE, KAILYN COLLINS, LIAM VALENTI, CHARLOTTE O’LEARY, MOON SOSSICH, and BREE WILKENS.
The Gateway’s Creative Team for Holiday Spectacular on Ice includes Director and Choreographer KEITH ANDREWS, who has directed over 30 productions at The Gateway, Figure Skating Casting and Choreographer TARA MODLIN-MAURIZI, and Music Director HOSUN MOON.
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The Gateway is Long Island’s premier not-for-profit, professional theater, known for producing world-class musicals, plays, concerts, and immersive experiences. The Holiday Spectacular on Ice has become a cherished seasonal tradition, celebrating the magic of the arts, world-class figure skating, and the spirit of community.
The Gateway’s 76th season continues with The Rat Pack is Back and The Full Monty.
Tickets for The Gateway’s Holiday Spectacular on Ice are on sale now and start at $59. For a complete show schedule and for more information on how you can save, contact the Box Office at 631-286-1133 or visit www.TheGateway.org.
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