Interview: Christine Armand, ‘STRETCHMARKS!’

Ahead of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2024, we’re chatting with a range of creatives who will be heading to the city over August to find out more about their shows. Today we’re chatting with Christine Armand about their piece, STRETCHMARKS!

Can you tell us a bit about you and your career so far? 

I have been a theatrical person, since I entered this world 60 years ago, according to my mother. I am a drama teacher, playwright, performer, director and producer of The Momma Drama. We are a momsemble that performs the hilarious & heartfelt show Stretchmarks! 

What is your show about? 

Stretchmarks! Is a play written by mommas for mommas. It is about the MAgical MAyhem MAdventure of a lifetime: motherhood! It follows the journey of 3 very different women…Leda, the wild child artiste…Saundra, the boss lady…and Annie, the crunchy ray of sunshine, as they all become mothers. Guided by the wit & wisdom of Mother Nature, and her drum, the new mommas learn to stretch not only their bodies, but their hearts. It’s very funny, but with all the feels, as they learn the lessons of growth, forgiveness and connection to their own mothers, but most importantly that they need to mother themselves and each other in order to have MOMentum. There will also be sippy cups of wine! 

What was the inspiration for Stretchmarks! and what’s the development process been to get to this stage? 

I was a part of a writer’s group of four sleep deprived moms who got together in 2002 to begin a collective piece on motherhood. We found that there were some common feelings, but many of them were not good. Of course we loved our children more than life itself, but we wrote about things that not many people were talking about: the lack of sleep, postpartum, being angry at our useless husbands, not showering for days, difficulty breast feeding, the challenges of going back to work, and the loss of self. It was turned into a theatrical piece, bringing in The Mother Nature character, and had it’s 2003 debut at The Phoenix Theatre in San Francisco. It was then workshopped into more of a complete piece with the help of David Ford at The Marsh in SF. It went on to become a pheMOMenom in the SF Bay Area, with many sold out shows. I then formed a momsemble called The Momma Drama, and we have had our east coast debut with shows in Maryland and New York. We have done shows all over the SF Bay Area and Los Angeles, and The Edinburgh Fringe in 2022. It has now been playing for over 20 years to audiences who enjoy and love this MOMentous show! 

What made you want to take Stretchmarks! to the Fringe? 

We brought the show to The Fringe in 2022, and we had some awesome reviews, with people calling it “Super fun!” and “Brilliant writing!” Yet, that year the audiences weren’t back yet, post Covid, so we had a hard time getting butts in seats. But, now we are back, baby! Better than ever, and our venue is right on The Royal Mile, and at a great venue (Greenside at Riddle’s Court in the Pickle Studio!), at a great time 19:30 (7:30 for you ‘Mericans!) And, we are giving out sippy cups of wine, so we think we will sell out. :)

Apart from seeing Stretchmarks! , what’s your top tip for anybody heading for Edinburgh this summer? 

Be open to magic. The best part of The Fringe for me is stumbling upon a show that I knew nothing about. I have been transported…laughed my ass off…had my heart been melted and expanded….all from spontaneously discovering a show. So yes, be open hearted and spontaneous. 

Why should people book Stretchmarks!? 

It’s truly one of the most life changing shows you will ever experience. You don’t have to be a mom to enjoy this show that is funny with all the feels. It’s a love letter to motherhood and the power of mums…but everyone adores it. (Also the cast is full of hawt mamacitas!) And did we mention there will be sippycups of wine? 

When and where can people see Stretchmarks!? 

Come see us the first week of the Fringe: August 2-10th 19:30 (1 hour) at Greenside At Riddle’s Court (Pickle Studio). Tickets are 5-10 pounds and include a sippy cup of wine!