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APRIL 5, 2023 Vol. 21, No. 7 candgnews.com
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New 44th District Court judge excited to take seat on bench BERKLEY/ROYAL OAK — The 44th District Court will have a new judge taking on the robe and gavel later this month. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer an-
nounced March 28 that she was appointing Andrew Kowalkowski to the open seat in the court. Kowalkowski will be taking the seat formerly held by Judge Jamie Wittenberg, who died last November from brain cancer. Kowalkowski, 40, comes to the district court from the Michigan Depart-
ment of State, where he was an administrative law examiner. He also worked at a private practice for 12 years in criminal defense, a job that brought him before both Wittenberg and fellow 44th District Court Judge Derek Meinecke many times. A longtime resident of Royal Oak,
Kowalkowski said he’s always wanted to become a judge, but he never thought it would happen in the 44th District Court because it already had “two great judges” in place in Wittenberg and Meinecke. “It’s something that I thought See JUDGE on page 20A
Kowalkowski
Production of ‘Matilda’ playing throughout April at Stagecrafters BY MIKE KOURY mkoury@candgnews.com
T
he next show to be presented by Stagecrafterss will be running throughout this month. Stagecrafters’ production of “Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical” will be performed April 7–23 at the Baldwin Theatre, 415 S. Lafayette Ave. in Royal Oak. “Matilda” is the story of a little girl with “wit, intelligence, and psychokinetic powers,” a press release states. “Unloved by her cruel parents and picked on by her school’s mean headmistress, Matilda faces obstacles with courage and cleverness in equal amounts.” Director Theresa Williams will be making her main stage Stagecrafters directing debut with “Matilda,” though she has directed multiple shows through the company’s youth theater program. She said in an email that “Matilda” is a fun and energetic show, but also one that is touching, sad and scary. “I wanted to transition my experience working with the youth theatre program onto the Main Stage, and a family friendly show with kids in the cast was a perfect fit,” she said. “I was also intrigued by the technical elements that are required.” See MATILDA on page 16A Photo provided by Stagecrafters
Cora Steiger, who stars as the title character in “Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical,” said it’s been amazing getting to work with the rest of the cast and that she’s excited for people to see the musical.
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BY MIKE KOURY
mkoury@candgnews.com