By Anne M. Lefter

Cockpit in Court Summer Theatre Cabaret Theatre July 7, 8, 9, 2023

Directed by Linda Chambers

Scenic and Lighting Design Technical Director G. Maurice "Moe" Conn, III

Stage Managed by TraceyAnn Tokar Smith

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Cockpit in Court Summer Theatre is supported in part by the Maryland State Arts Council. To discover more about the Maryland State Arts Council and how they impact Maryland, visit msac.org. Cockpit in Court Summer Theatre would also like to thank our Season Sponsor Towson University. To discover the Arts and Culture offerings at Towson University, visit www.towson.edu/campus/artsculture/

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Director's Note

The United States Federal Witness Protection Program (also known as the Witness Security Program) provides for the security, safety and health of government witnesses and their authorized family members, whose lives are in danger as a result of their cooperation with the U.S. government. In some cases it becomes necessary to take a witness into the program prior to going to trial. Someone with connections and power and resources can find ways to delay a trial. They can find ways to do other things as well, if the crime is particularly heinous and they are desperate enough.

We don't know her name. We don't know where she lived or what she did for a living. We don't know anything about her except she learned something and decided to do the right thing. We know she has tremendous courage ... and she has to live to tell the tale.

Presenting the premiere of Anne Lefter's "Witness Statements."

Linda Chambers
Director

PLACE: Los Angeles
SETTING: A conference room; a safe house
TIME: Now

Cast

Laura Holland		The Witness
Sean Kelly		William Frank
Stephanie Ranno		The Marshal
James Lefter II, Joshua Lefter		News Announcers

Creative Team

Anne M. Lefter		Author
Linda Chambers		Director
TraceyAnn Tokar Smith		Stage Manager
G. Maurice (Moe) Conn, III		Technical Director/Scenic & Lighting Designer
Joey Hellman		Board Operator/Stage Crew
James Lefter II		Sound Designer
Joshua Lefter		Firearms Consultant

Meet the Company

Laura Holland (The Witness)
Laura is a multidisciplinary theatre artist. Her theatre credits include Yours Forever Lincoln, The Discourse Project, The Way Out, Meditations on Nationalism (Quarry Theatre); Finding Florence, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and The Amish Project (Stevenson University). Currently, Laura is completing her Master of Arts: Arts Administration degree at Goucher College. She is a member of Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas.

@hollala81

Sean Kelly (William Frank)
Sean holds a BFA in acting from Towson University. A lifetime resident of the Baltimore area, he has worked with many theaters in the community on shows including Equus (Alan Strang), Heinie Goochems (George), The Revelation of Bobby Pritchard (Poss/Bobby), All My Sons (Chris). This is Sean’s first time working with Cockpit in Court and he feels honored to take part in this production.

Stephanie Ranno (The Marshal)
Stephanie is pleased to be returning to the stage after nearly a decade hiatus with this fantastic cast, director, writer, and crew. There was something really special about this process - these people - that I’ll forever be grateful for. Stephanie’s regional theater credits include: Ensemble member in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat at The Wagon Wheel Theater (Warsaw, IN), and Ensemble member and dancer in Unto These Hills (Cherokee, NC). Stephanie's local credits include: Maria, Compleat Female Stage Beauty (Fell's Point Corner Theater); Agnetha Gottmundsdottir, Frozen; Caroline Saunders/Ellen/Betty in Cloud Nine, Myra and Myrna Richards in The Mineola Twins (Spotlighters). Other favorite roles include: Anne Boleyn, in the American Premiere of Six Dead Queens and an Inflatable Henry (Mobtown Players); Claire, Proof (Cockpit in Court) Sally Talley in Talley's Folly (Theatre Hopkins); Janet Weiss in The Rocky Horror Show (Catonsville); Columbia, The Rocky Horror Show (Spotlighters); Ariel in The Tempest, (Spotlighters), Meg Magrath in Crimes of the Heart (Cockpit In Court); Mistress Ford in The Merry Wives of Windsor (Annapolis Summer Garden); and Rosencrantz in Hamlet (The Rude Mechanicals). Other credits include: Frankie Futrelle, Christmas Belles, Petrinova, Anastasia (Vagabond Players); Diane Lorimer / Ensemble member, 42nd Street and Ensemble Member, Thoroughly Modern Mille (Dundalk Community Theater). Much love to her family and friends, and especially Brad-who made rehearsing this show possible.

Stephranno

Anne M. Lefter (Author)
Anne followed F. Scott Black as Managing Director of Cockpit in Court from 2003-2007, when she transitioned leadership to James Hunnicutt. As Director of the Arts at CCBC, she oversees the college’s producing and presenting activities in theatre, music, dance, and the art galleries. She directed An Evening of Murder in the Cockpit Cabaret in 2015. Other playwright credits include Turtle Soup (3rd place, Baltimore Playwrights Festival, 2003); Eastside (Red Hen Theatre Company, FemFest 97); Sleigh Ride Spectacular and Our Favorite Things (CCBC). With composer and lyricist Bill Watson, she wrote and directed O’er the Ramparts, a historical pageant with music, which was a Signature Event for Baltimore County’s Star Spangled Spectacular commemorating the Bicentennial of the War of 1812. Anne is vice president of the board of directors of Quarry Theatre, sits on the board of the Strategic National Arts Alumni Project, and is a member of the Dramatists Guild. Special thanks to: Sean, Stephanie, Laura and TraceyAnn for giving their time to develop this script; to Linda for her insightful and invaluable notes; to Jim for sound cues and Josh for sharing his knowledge; to Moe for making these spaces real; to Joey for stepping in to join the team; and especially to James and Lisa for keeping Cockpit in Court vibrant and fresh.

Linda Chambers (Director)
Linda is honored to be directing the premiere of Anne Lefter's play, Witness Statements, and is doubly pleased that the production will benefit Cockpit In Court. She has been directing in Cockpit's Cabaret since 2005, with one detour to F. Scott Black's Theatre where cast and crew worked through zoom, testing, masks and distancing to present Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None. She has written and is directing a one-woman show about "Mother Jones (Let The Fight Go On)" in collaboration with actress Janel Bosies and is working on Book Two of her fantasy coming-of-age story, The Swords of Ialmorgia. Linda is illustrating a children's poem/book on the migration of monarch butterflies, Sophie the Monarch Butterfly: Mission To Mexico! (Please support the monarchs! https://xerces.org/western-monarch-call-to-action.). Linda's work will also be included in The Hag Project: Voices from the Cringe, now being workshopped in Babylon, New York.

TraceyAnn Tokar Smith (Stage Manager)
TraceyAnn has always wanted to stage manage an original work and is so grateful for the opportunity to do that with this WORLD PREMIERE of Witness Statements here at Cockpit! Previously at CIC, TraceyAnn stage managed Something Rotten, Night Watch, And Then There Were None, The Unexpected Guest, and Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean. She also stage manages for Dundalk Community Theatre, including their productions of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, A Bronx Tale, A Chorus Line, Intimate Apparel, Mamma Mia, Side Show, A Year with Frog and Toad, and The Bridges of Madison County. Her directing credits include Shadowlands at DCT, Three Tall Women at Cockpit and Court Summer Theatre, Rimers of Eldritch at McDaniel College, Arsenic and Old Lace at Vagabonds Theatre, and Billy Would Have Been Thirty Today for the Baltimore Playwrights’ Festival. Away from the theatre, TraceyAnn works as the Lead Teacher for Lansdowne High’s Distance Learning Program.

G. Maurice (Moe) Conn, III (Technical Director/Scenic & Lighting Designer)

Moe is in his eleventh year with CCBC where he is the full-time Technical Director and Designer at CCBC Catonsville’s Center for the Arts Theatre. He has an MFA in Scene Design and Technical Theatre. Moe has been doing technical theatre since 1993, as a Designer, Technician, Technical Director, and Educator. He served as the Technical Director for five summers at Cockpit in Court where he continues to design both lights and sets. He has also designed for Vagabond Players in Fells Point. Moe has received multiple nominations for Best Scene Design from Broadway World.com and received Best Scenic Design from the MD Theatre Guide’s Readers’ Choice Awards. When not backstage, Moe volunteers with “Behind the Scenes” which provides financial support for theatre technicians in need throughout the entertainment industry. He also helps coordinate the Long Reach Long Riders charity motorcycle ride, (www.LRLR.org) to benefit Broadway Cares/Equity fights AIDS and Behind the Scenes, two theatre-based charities.

Joey Hellman (Board Operator/Stage Crew)
Joey is very thrilled to be part of this production. He has acted, directed and worked backstage on several CCBC shows on all campuses. Most recently, he was seen as Dr. Armstrong in And Then There Were None on the mainstage, here at Cockpit, also led by this creative team. Thank you for joining us to help keep quality theatre in this area alive.

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COCKPIT IN COURT 2023 PRODUCTION STAFF

COCKPIT IN COURT 2023 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

James Hunnicutt | Artistic Managing Director
Lisa L. Boeren | Administrative Manager

John Chrzanowski | President
Thomas Hessenauer | Vice-President
Cathy Kratovil | Secretary

SPECIAL THANKS

Dr. Sandra L. Kurtinitis, President, CCBC
Dr. Joaquin Martinez, Provost & Vice President of Instruction
Melissa Hopp, Vice President, Administrative Services
Dr. R. Michael Walsh, Dean of Arts & Communication
Nicholas Van Horn, Chair, Performing Arts and Humanities
Dr. Anne Lefter, Director of the Arts
Michael Elspas, Asst. Director, Creative Services
Jason Randolph, Technical Director, Essex
Marc Smith, Technical Director, CCBC Dundalk
Moe Conn, Technical Director, CCBC Catonsville
Marc Ershler, Campus Director, Essex
CCBC Essex Foundation

By Anne M. Lefter