A Shakespearean history set in Mexico and a musical about the political and emotional aspects of international chess competition have beaten a crowded field of student productions vying to grace Harvard’s largest stage this spring, the Harvard-Radcliffe Dramatic Club (HRDC) announced Sunday.

Only two student shows per semester are picked to be performed on the Loeb Mainstage—an extremely difficult venue for student producers, directors and actors to use.

In recognition of that difficulty, HRDC board members said they plan to play a larger role in advising this spring’s productions—Richard III and Chess—than the HRDC has in the past.

Three board members will be assigned to help out with each show, and American Repertory Theatre (ART) directors will also be more involved in helping the productions use the Mainstage’s advanced technical system and sprawling stage.

“We see that as students we can always be improving,” said new HRDC Vice President Jeremy W. Blocker ’04. “This is one avenue of improvement.”

The massive Mainstage has gotten the better of many student productions, as students have struggled to sell 500 tickets per show and master the use of elaborate lighting equipment usually handled by ART professionals.

“The difficulty comes in translating a big vision to the little details of every aspect of a big production,” said new HRDC President Benjamin D. Margo ’04.

Students applying to use the Mainstage must submit a script and music, a list of production staff, an itemized budget, cast size and preliminary set sketches. HRDC then interviews the show’s entire staff.

In the past this extensive application process has limited the number of applicants to only two or three per semester.

But this semester’s selection committee got to decide which of six shows would have the best chance to succeed on the Mainstage.

This semester’s selections take unique approaches to dealing with the complexity of Mainstage production.

Chess, which will run from April 4-12, will be directed by Katherine M. Bencowitz ’03 and produced by Anne E. Patrone ’04 and Kristel C.Q. Leow ’04.

Chess portrays the politics and emotions behind a match-up between an American and a Russian at a chess tournament.

Bencowitz submitted Chess last year and was rejected. She reapplied after toning down the historical and political details of the script and focusing on how the characters retreat into a parallel fairy tale world.

“It’s something that I’ve been wanting forever, and I have a great group of people working with me,” Bencowitz said.