The Chess Player

Starring Richard McElvain

March 9, 2023 @ 8:30pm

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Imprisoned in solitary confinement by Nazis, The Prisoner inches toward delirium. A stolen book of chess games becomes The Prisoner’s only way to cling to sanity…until they become too familiar. Fighting madness, he chooses self-imposed schizophrenia, surviving by dividing his mind into two feuding chess masters. He must play or die. Weeks after his escape, he dares himself to walk the edge of a volcano of madness again as he challenges the greatest chess player in the world to a match in Richard McElvain’s reimagining of Stefan Zweig’s classic.

McElvain has thrilled audiences in Budapest, Prague, Saint Petersburg, Helsinki, Reykjavik, Toronto, Jerusalem, and Istanbul with THE CHESS PLAYER since its premiere at The Edinburgh Fringe. It is his great honor to bring it to New York for its American Premiere.

Critics have called THE CHESS PLAYER “An Absolute must see…”, “Mesmerizing…gives you no choice but to be completely immersed into a tiny room with a Nazi prisoner…”, “McElvain is superb…eyes twinkling with humor one moment, staring hauntingly into your soul the next.”.

This very theatrical production is underscored by a brilliant soundscape created by Larry Buckley.

Writer: Richard McElvain

Director: Richard McElvain

Running Time: 80 min.

Category: Drama, tragedy, comedy, historical drama, psychological drama