Artistic Director Jeffrey Cass and Executive Director Julie Ann Kornak are excited to continue BrightSide Theatre's SEASON 12 – The Season of Passion – with the masterful musical CHESS IN CONCERT. Cass is directing the concert, with musical direction by Aaron Zimmerman. Cast in the central roles of the love triangle between two chess grandmasters who love the same woman are Michael Metcalf, Julie Ann Kornak and Justin Miller. Metcalf, who will play the American Grandmaster Freddie Trumper, was seen last year as King Arthur in CAMELOT, Lord Farquaad in SHREK (both with Music Theater Works) and Lonny in ROCK OF AGES (Mercury Theatre). Kornak, cast as Trumper's manager and lover Florence who becomes involved with Freddie's Russian rival Anatoly, has played such roles as Tanya in MAMMA MIA, Muriel in DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS, and Francesca in THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY, all with Brightside Theatre. Miller played Robert Kincaid opposite Kornak in Brightside's THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY and alos appeared in the national tour of FINDING NEVERLAND.

Other performers in key roles are Edward MacLennan of Bolingbrook (Molokov/Alexander/Male Ensemble), Jim Heatherly of Bloomingdale (Walter Anderson/Male Ensemble), Meg McGarry of Plano, (Svetlana Sergievsky/Female Ensemble), Zach Gibson of Warrenville (The Arbiter/Male Ensemble), Stan Austin of Winfield (Gregor Vassy), Wren Harrington of Westchester (Young Florence). Additional members of the male ensemble are Henry Alloway (Chicago), Andrew Buel (Montgomery), Bob Bullen (Chicago), and Nicholas J. Greanias (Lemont). The female ensemble also includes Amy Bamberger (Naperville), Kristina Drendel (Hampshire), Marianne Embree (Arlington Heights), Meghan Kessel (Chicago), Christine Ronna (Wilmington), and Amy Steele (Naperville).

The production team also includes De Haddad (Stage Manager/Assistant Director) and Tim Elliott (Sound Mixer).