Chester performer to star in 'Godspell' and 'Cabaret'

CHESTER - Chester resident Carol Beaugard is starring in two upcoming musical productions: 'Peggy’ in “Godspell” at the Center for Performing Arts in Rhinebeck through Aug. 7; and as the 'Kit Kat Girl, Texas’ in “Cabaret,” produced by Creative Theater-Muddy Water Players, to be performed at Museum Village in Monroe Sept. 16 to Oct. 2. Beaugard, a radio DJ and bluegrass singer, was last seen on stage this past April starring as 'Gabrielle’ in Neil Simon’s farce “The Dinner Party” at the Newburgh Actors Studio in Newburgh. The Center for Performing Arts at Rhinebeck has presented musicals, comedies, dramas, Shakespeare and children’s theater since it opened in 1998. It offers year-round productions, as well as workshops, summer camps and children’s educational programs. The Rhinebeck presentation of “Godspell” is produced by by Diana di Grandi and directed by Laurie Sepe Marder. The musical is based on the Gospel according to St. Matthew and features a score by Stephen Schwartz. It was one of the biggest Broadway successes of all time and boasts a string of well-loved songs, led by the international hit, “Day By Day”. “Cabaret” is produced by Creative Theater-Muddy Water Players (www.ctmwp.org ) and directed by Terri Brockmann. Kander and Ebb’s classic musical is set in 1930s Berlin, as the romantic intrigues of several performers at a seedy nightclub play out amid the backdrop of the Nazis’ rise to power. Beaugard is known for her work in radio as host of “Lonesome Pine RFD,” heard in the New York metro area on WFDU-FM and syndicated worldwide on WAMU’s 'Bluegrass Country’. She fronts a bluegrass band “Blue Express” and makes frequent appearances at venues throughout the region. For more information, visit www.myspace.com/carolbeaugard.