February 2012- Paul and JoAnne Schubert as interviewed by Barbara Rankin

As a married couple, they set their sites on a life in music, and ended up in the Hudson Valley quite by accident.  While planning to work near their homes in Brooklyn, they had vacationed in the Adirondacks and fell in love with the natural beauty of the area in Upstate NY.   By splitting the distance halfway between their Brooklyn home and the mountains up north, they landed in the Kingston, NY area, ready to pursue music in their respective fields.  Within a few months, JoAnne played for a singer who referred her to Andy Weintraub, the original founder of The CENTER for Performing Arts at Rhinebeck.  That led to their first show, Deuces Wild, at La Parmagiana restaurant (now Terrapin in Rhinebeck), and as they say in showbiz, “the rest is history!”  Working with Andy brought them into the world of musical theater at The CENTER, which began at the Morton Library, and eventually grew into the red barn on Route 308 in 1998.  Paul and JoAnne estimate that over the last 20+ years they have 130 productions under their belts between the two of them. 

Click here to download the full interview.

All ticketed patrons for the January 15, 2011, performance were invited to dress for the "Hop" and mingle with the cast at a special post-show reception.  In keeping with the theme, root beer floats, corn-dogs, and cupcakes from Moxie of New Paltz were served!