After Endgame is a compelling show that explores the blurred lines between truth and lies and the search for one's true self through the lens of chess and life lessons. I had the pleasure of interviewing Kevin James Doyle about the inspiration behind the show, the humor and what’s next on his creative journey.
The show is deeply personal, touching on ambition, deception, and self-identity. What inspired you to tell your story?
Once the entire 'adventure' settled down and I could see it more clearly in the rearview mirror of my life, I just saw all the pieces of how it related to these amazing chess stories from history and the lessons I have been teaching my students for years. My previous shows were all personal stories but I saw from the outset a way to tie that into something more universal that everyone could relate to in their own life.
The final scene delivers a powerful and humorous conclusion. How did you decide to end the show on that note?
Well, if there was one thing I learned the past year it was that I used to look at my job as a teacher to young students as a way to pay the bills while I tried to grind ahead on the performer front. Then, when I had to return to teaching again, I saw my students in a new light and the entire past decade of teaching in a new light. This wasn't ever just a way to pay the bills; having a positive influence on my students and being a good example to them and teaching them is incredibly valuable and important and I had been taking that for granted. It was just a natural conclusion to this story, returning to my role as a teacher with a new understanding and appreciation for what it means for me and for my students.
What do you hope audiences take away from the experience?
My goal from the outset was to write something that was so entertaining that people didn't realize there was a lesson to take away until the end. So I just hope people are taken on a ride and then when they are on their way home or in bed or having coffee the next day, they are thinking about whatever story happened in their life and what they can learn from going back to assess the blind spots they had at the time.
What is next on the horizon for you?
I am going back to Edinburgh Fringe with a new show called Wild Card. I am going to have the audience choose from different cards, and it will be a choose-your-own-adventure storytelling stand-up show. I think it will be a fun switch up from this show that is so detailed and plotted, I couldn't deviate much from what was laid out. I am going to find a show amidst some experimentation. Then I am helping my friend Cory Cavin with his upcoming Edinburgh Fringe show Enjoy Your Meal and my friend Graham Kaye with his Off-Broadway run of Pete & Me.
What advice would you give someone just starting to learn chess?
Find a few friends to play with and go to chess clubs and chess meet-ups. Playing online has its benefits but the reason why chess is such a beautiful game is the beauty of in person play and the post-game conversations and the pressure of thinking in real-time with an opponent sitting across from you. Your rating is not the most interesting thing about the game.
Thank you, Kevin, for taking the time to answer some questions. We wish you all the best!
Upcoming Performances:
The Lyric Hyperion (2106 Hyperion Ave) in Los Angeles on March 30 at 7:30 pm and March 31 at 7:15 pm. For more information, please visit: https://lyrichyperion.com/
"After Endgame"
Written and Performed by Kevin James Doyle
Directed by Cory Cavin
February 11- March 8, 2025
SoHo Playhouse (15 Vandam St, NYC)
Yani Perez, M.F.A., is a poet, playwright, translator, and educator. Her plays have been presented in various theaters in the United States, such as La Mama and Yale University, as well as internationally in Bogotá, Colombia. She works at IATI Theater, one of the oldest Latinx theaters in NYC. She is currently working on translations of Latinx artists in hopes of introducing them to English-speaking audiences.
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