With the curtain rising on our next chapter of innovation and creativity, we are thrilled to introduce Linda Chambers, our next remarkable female director in this inspiring series. Linda’s extensive history with Cockpit In Court began in 1983 with the production of her play Avalon, and she has since directed numerous acclaimed productions, including Crimes of the Heart and An Inspector Calls. Her dynamic approach and innovative storytelling have captivated audiences and inspired many. Join us in celebrating Linda’s leadership as she brings her wealth of experience and fresh perspective to the stage, further enriching our transformative journey and marking another vibrant chapter in Cockpit’s history.
Linda Chambers
Director for Grand Horizons
Linda Chambers’ first involvement with Cockpit In Court was in 1983, when her play Avalon was produced on the Courtyard Stage as Cockpit’s entry into the second Baltimore New Playwrights Festival ’83. Theatre Critic R.H.Gardner considered it “the festival’s major contribution” and added it wasn’t just the writing but the production values, courtesy of Essex Community College, that elevated it above the rest. The play was then taken to NYC by producer Brad Mays for a three week run with its original director, Nancy Powichroski Sherman, and most of its original cast. The following year, Linda played Mrs. Gibbs in Powichroski’s production of Our Town in the Cabaret. It would be over twenty years before she returned to Cockpit. A director had dropped out; a replacement was needed. Anne Lefter asked Linda to meet her for coffee … and so it began:
2005: Crimes of the Heart
2006: An Inspector Calls
[Brief Aside: Favorite all-time review: “… if the Titanic had been helmed as well as Ms. Chambers helmed this production, that boat might just have made it to New York. Her work is THAT good.” – BroadwayWorld.com)
2011: Edge of Darkness
In the summer of 2012 she took a detour to Court Jesters Young People’s Theatre in the J Building Lecture Hall where she directed her first musical, Dr. Dolittle. That was followed by:
2014: The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife
2016: The Gazebo
2017: Vanya & Sonia & Masha & Spike
2018: Come Back to the Five & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean
2019: The Unexpected Guest
2020: Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None was scheduled to open in the Cabaret in July of 2020 but in March of that year everything ground to a halt. It would be another year and a half before the ghost light was relit.
2021:  The ghost light came on again, courtesy of SM TraceyAnn Smith, not in the Cabaret but in the F. Scott Black Main Stage Theatre where only two productions – And Then There Were None and Moana, Jr. – were presented. [Brief aside: With ATTWN, Chambers became the only Cockpit director to direct in all three of Cockpit’s venues.]
2022: Night Watch
[Brief aside: The daughter of the late Lucille Fletcher, author of Night Watch, attended the production with her husband and friends and declared it “perfect.”]
2023: Witness Statements (an original work by Anne Lefter)
In between Cockpit gigs, Linda had one play produced in Los Angeles and four off-off Broadway in New York. She was co-director/producer of the Women’s Project at Theatre Project from 1995-2000, she taught and directed numerous productions at Stevenson University for twelve years.  She taught Scriptwriting in Carver Center’s Literary Program from 2000 to June, 2024. She is the author of The Swords of Ialmorgia, a fantasy novel available on Amazon and is at present illustrating a children’s poem, Sophie the Monarch Butterfly: Mission To Mexico by Celia Straus.  Linda is also collaborating with actress Janel Bosies on a one woman show about Mother Jones, Let The Fight Go On.
Starting in 1998, Linda directed nine productions for Patapsco High School & Center for the Arts’ Theatre Magnet Program in the Black Box Theatre, where she fell in love with theatre in the round, the square, the thrust and other oddly angled stages. Cockpit In Court’s Cabaret Theatre felt immediately familiar to her.
Linda is extremely lucky to have been given the opportunity to direct for Cockpit in Court and work with its family of wonderful artists, actors, technicians, designers and administrators. It is a joy to watch a college cafeteria transform itself year after year and take audiences on so many different journeys. She is grateful to have been asked to direct 2024’s Grand Horizons and looks forward to another transformation and the next journey.
See Grand Horizons July 19 – August 4 at Cockpit in Court, CCBC Essex, Robert & Eleanor Romadka College Center
Cabaret Theatre
Performances:
July 19, 20, 26, 27 at 8 p.m.
July 21, 28 at 3 p.m.
August 2, 3 at 8 p.m.
August 4 at 3 p.m.
Tickets:
Tickets: $17 Adult | $15 Senior. Purchase tickets online at www.ccbctickets or call the Box Office at 443-840-ARTS.
Grand Horizons contains mature themes and strong language that may not be suitable for all audiences. The play addresses complex issues surrounding relationships, marriage, and family dynamics, which may include discussions of infidelity, intimacy, and mental health. Viewer discretion is advised.Recommended for audiences aged 17 and above.
