1-woman play embodies Therese Rocco, Pittsburgh's 1st female assistant police chief
Do it, but do it with grace.
That is the way Therese Rocco, a trailblazer with the Pittsburgh Police Department, has always lived her life.
For more than four decades, Rocco overcame gender barriers and created a path for women. She was Pittsburgh’s — and the nation’s — first female assistant police chief. Her police career ran from 1948 until her retirement in 2004.
Her story has been told in a book, a documentary — and now through a one-woman play named “The Epitome of Grace.”
It debuted last weekend. Performances are at 7 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday at Heritage Players Theatre at Seton Center in Brookline.
Sharon Liotus, playwright and producer of “The Epitome of Grace,” said she wrote the piece as a way to expand on the vast elements of Rocco’s life that hadn’t been covered and bring her character to life on the stage.
Liotus, of Brentwood, interviewed 14 people about Rocco, including Wilkinsburg Chief of Police Ophelia “Cookie” Coleman, who inspired the show’s title. They knew each other from the Pittsburgh Police force.
“When I interviewed Cookie, she stated Therese Rocco is ‘The Epitome of Grace,’ ” Liotus said.
The 50-minute play is self-funded. It was finished in 2020 but the pandemic delayed its performance. Directing the play is Dan Kirk. Al Marschke is the technical director.
“I am so grateful to have these two talented and creative professionals involved in this production,” Liotus said.
A documentary about Rocco, “The Rock: The Therese Rocco Story,” premiered at the Senator John Heinz History Center in the Strip District in March 2019. It can be found on theepitomeofgrace.com.
Rocco published her memoir, “Therese Rocco: Pittsburgh’s First Female Assistant Police Chief,” in 2017.
She began her career in law enforcement at age 19 as a clerk in the missing persons unit and worked on high-profile cases involving missing children.
Liotus said she would like to do more to continue sharing’s Rocco story through historic images and video, and is aiming to have it performed in a theater Downtown to reach a larger audience.
“The message of perseverance and dedication to finding missing children and how she lived her life needs to get out,” Liotus said. “I wanted to bring Therese to life on stage and take advantage of the many wonderful images that were used in the documentary. I thought we could pull it off if we found the right actress. “
Actress Cindy Swanson, of Presto, plays Rocco. Swanson said she read the book, watched the documentary and met with Rocco several times to be able to portray Rocco’s character. She wears the former police woman’s uniform jacket in the show.
When Swanson was 8 years old she met Rocco, who was dating Swanson’s uncle. She kept a photo from that meeting.
Swanson said in learning about her character that Rocco went after what she wanted, but she did it with kindness.
There is a scene where Rocco poses as a lingerie model for a photoshoot in a hotel room. She is undercover posing as a decoy to arrest the photographer, who was placing ads “looking for models.” She comes out from the next room and tosses the lingerie on the bed and places the man under arrest after the male detectives come in the door, saying “it didn’t fit anyway!”
Liotus said having Swanson in the role is perfect. Their meeting had a long-lasting effect on Swanson.
The play takes place shortly before Rocco retires.
“As the play opens, Therese is reflecting on her life, her cases, her struggles, and her accomplishments,” said Liotus. “Therese is anxiously awaiting word if she was offered a position in federal law enforcement. That scene encapsulates the challenges Therese faced from the 1940s through the 1990s, and how she broke through the glass ceiling.”
Rocco said that when she started with the force, women weren’t considered equal to men. She said it meant a lot to her when the men would come into her office and ask for advice.
Born in the lower Hill District, Rocco has also lived on the Bluff in Uptown and Brookline.
Rocco credits her mother Concetta with inspiring her to persevere. Rocco also said a priest at her grade school paid for her first year at St. Paul Cathedral in Oakland, which positioned her for her career.
Rocco put herself through college.
She taught criminal justice at Carlow University (then Carlow College) in Oakland. Many female police officers took her class. She also taught men at the police academy.
The city’s first Black police chief, William H. “Mugsy” Moore, appointed Rocco as commander.
“I had to push forward,” Rocco said. “I tell women to pursue what you intend to do in life. There will be obstacles and you will need time to get to where you want to do. But always remember to do it with grace.”
Rocco will attend the Saturday performance.
Tickets are $20. Details: 412-885-7126 or facebook.com/therese.rocco.5
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a TribLive reporter covering the region's diverse culinary scene and unique homes. She writes features about interesting people. The Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist began her career as a sports reporter. She has been with the Trib for 26 years and is the author of "A Daughter's Promise." She can be reached at jharrop@triblive.com.
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