What is your role in Chess? I play Florence. She is the chess second to the American chess champion, Freddie Trumper. She is a brilliant chess player in her own right but unfortunately, at the time the play is set, women were not chess champions. Florence has the difficult job of navigating Freddy’s emotions and ego while at the World Chess Championships. At the same time, she is also realizing that she should start putting herself first.
What is your background in theatre? At Walterdale? I grew up taking dancing, singing and acting lessons. I was very involved in the theatre throughout school. In university I obtained my BFA in Stage Management and worked on a few shows at the Citadel before going to law school. This is my first time being involved in a Walterdale show and I am really enjoying it. I haven’t been on stage in ten years and this is my first musical! However, my family and I are avid karaoke singers and we love to perform at all kinds of dingy karaoke bars.
What brought you out for this show? What drew you to it? Throughout my musical theatre training I always knew of Chess because of its beautiful music and amazing solos. I sang “Someone Else’s Story” at a the Kiwanis Music Festival years ago. It only happened by chance that I checked the Walterdale audition notice website and saw that Chess was going up. I knew instantly that I had to be a part of the production.
Why do you think audiences should come see this show? What do you think they will take away from it? The music is powerful and beautiful. The cast is incredible and we have a very strong ensemble. It sounds like an angel choir at times. Come for the music, stay for the compelling and heartbreaking story.
Chess is a Board Game… What’s your favorite Board Game? I love playing Cranium because it’s has multiple games in one: Pictionary, Trivia and Charades. I mostly like trivia games, to see what useless knowledge I’ve collected over the years. These days, I play a lot of games on my phone instead of on a board though. It’s a terrible habit!
Photo Credit: Janine Hodder
Meet the Cast of CHESS – Todd Hauck is Anatoly
What is your role in CHESS? I’m playing Anatoly, the Russian chess champion. He is passionate and thoughtful, and has dedicated his entire life to the game of chess. He hates the politics and propaganda that he constantly has to deal with and wishes he could be free of those distractions, allowing him to simply concentrate on the game. Not long after meeting Florence, his opponent’s second, the two fall in love. His love for Florence forces him to make some very difficult choices throughout the show.
What is your background in theatre? At Walterdale? I’ve been involved in theatre for about 5 years now, and absolutely love it! I have made some of the best friends I have ever had through theatre, and I’m constantly amazed by what wonderful people the Edmonton theater community is made of. I have never had the pleasure of doing a show at Walterdale, but have seen many shows here and wanted to perform here for years. I can’t wait!
What brought you out for this show? What drew you to it? I had the pleasure of working with Sally Hunt (our musical director) on a show a couple of years ago, so when I heard her speaking about this show I immediately looked into it, and instantly fell in love with the amazing music, story, and characters. Anatoly is such a pleasure to play, and his songs are some of the best that I have ever had the chance to learn.
Why do you think audiences should come see this show? What do you think they will take away from it? The music is really amazing, with examples of thus about every style all wrapped up into one show. Classic musical theatre, pop songs, ballads, rap… It’s all in there and beautifully written. The cast is packed with truly gifted performers, all working very hard to bring this show to life, and I think audiences will be blown away with what they see and hear.
Chess is a Board Game… What’s your favorite Board Game? Why? Got any funny game-playing stories? We have recently began having some family Monopoly games, and my kids have a ball playing it. Last time we had a game my middle daughter Lilly went so far as to prepare herself by applying war paint to her face before we started! It was hilarious!
Meet the Team of Chess – John Anderson is the Assistant Stage Manager!
What is your role on the production? I am the Assistant Stage Manager for Chess. That means, during the performances, I’ll be doing work behind the curtains, Wizard of Oz style (but with much less authority, Cowardly Lion style). You might even see me briefly come on stage, when the lights go down, helping the cast change the set for the next scene.
What is your background in theatre? At Walterdale? I was previously the Assistant Stage Manager on Walterdale’s production of Jenny’s Story. That was a great experience, and I had a lot of fun with the cast and crew. So far, Chess is shaping up to be just as fun.
What brought you out for this show? What drew you to it? If I could, I’d volunteer to participate in every Walterdale show, but, unfortunately, the majority of the season takes place at the same time as basketball season. Like Jenny’s Story, Chess is on stage in the summertime—the off-season for all us hardwood ballers—so volunteering for the summer shows is my chance to re-connect with the theatre community that I have to miss for most of the year.
Why do you think audiences should come see this show? What do you think they will take away from it? For one, the cast. I mean, I’ve been watching these guys almost every night, and I can tell you, you’re going to feel some real feels at this show. Also, I think the audience will really enjoy the song-and-dance element of this show. The music has a lot of heart to it, and our talented cast will be doing these songs justice. You’ll be humming some of these songs at intermission, and at work the next day. The script is nothing to sneeze at either. I’ve found in the past that the story for some musicals tends to just be cliché fluff that fills the air between songs, but not with Chess. I read the script the other week, and was surprised by how subtle and thoughtful its story could be, particularly the ending, which will satisfy your Entertain-Me-Now!! wants, as well as provoke some real discussion, as your group gets a post-play drink. At the end of the day, it’s an unusually thoughtful plot for a musical that’s full of great songs, performed by an ensemble that’s willing and able to give you their all. That’s real entertainment, right there. What more could you want?
Chess is a Board Game… What’s your favorite Board Game? Why? Got any funny game-playing stories? I don’t think Jenga really counts as a board game, so I’ll have to give the highly coveted Favorite-Board-Game award to Chess. My dad taught me the game, when I was six, and I used to play it often at lunchtime in my elementary daycare. Once, in an impressive campaign of skill and strategy, I took home third place in my age group at a city tournament (Reluctant real life admission: there were only four kids in my age group at the tournament, and I think the fourth kid went home sick halfway through… Whatever, though).
Meet the Cast of CHESS – Tyra Watkin is in the Ensemble
What is your role in CHESS? I play a Hungarian, a Merchandizer, an American, an Attendant and Arbiter’s Assistant. These roles are very wide ranged and fun! I can really change who I am between every character, anywhere from a young scared Hungarian girl to a confident merchandizer. It is fantastic!
What is your background in theatre? At Walterdale? This my second theatre production and I am super excited to be a part of the Walterdale family for the musical Chess!
What brought you out for this production? What really drew me towards Chess was the plot line and how exciting it was. I was looking for auditions and I found Chess and I was instantly drawn towards it!
Why should audiences come see this show? I think audiences should really come see it for the phenomenal story! You will be happy you came, its so interesting and dramatically awesome. Between the great dramatics, singing and dancing you’ll find something you love in this musical. It has romance, and feuds, politics, and chess – what’s not to love!?
What’s your favourite Board Game? My favourite board game would have to be snakes and ladders, its just so much fun to play with friends and family. My family and I play a lot of this game whenever we go camping, a perfect time to play a little snakes and ladders!
Meet the Team of CHESS – Glenna Schowalter is the Stage Manager
What is your role on the production? I am the stage manager. This means that I sit through rehearsals to take blocking notes, get tech notes out to the production team and call all the cues once we get into the run of the show. There’s lots of communication and organization involved, and (of course) patience.
What is your background in theatre? At Walterdale? I started theatre in high school, and have graduated from MacEwan University’s Theatre Production program with distinction. Since then I’ve done numerous community theatre shows and festivals such as Fringe and the Works. This is my fourth production at Walterdale, and my second time stage managing here.
What brought you out for this show? I was actually finishing up last season’s production of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? when Technical Director Richard Hatfield asked if I would be interested in stage managing Chess. I said yes, of course.
Why do you think audiences should come see this show? What do you think they will take away from it? I think audiences will be blown away by the score of the show. Each song is musically interesting and completely unique in its storytelling moments. The audience will walk out humming.
Chess is a Board Game… What’s your favorite Board Game? Why? Got any funny game-playing stories? I love board games! I am a frequent visitor to our city’s board game cafes. My favourite board game so far (I still have so many to try!) is Shadows Over Camelot. It’s a cooperative game where the players take on the roles of King Arthur’s knights and try to save the kingdom from invading evil forces. I like it because of the co-op gameplay, and I’m a sucker for medieval fantasy stuff.