Remembering Randy Beard
Randy was a sweet soul and wonderful collaborator. Take your bow, Randy.
- Ron Peluso, Artistic Director
Randy (William Randall) Beard, playwright/creator of History Theatre's Beyond the Rainbow, the Judy Garland musical that was commissioned by History Theatre in 2005, passed away today. Randy was a casualty of COVID-19. History Theatre most recently presented his show in December of 2019 just months before the theaters closed due to the pandemic. This musical has been widely produced across the country with more than a dozen professional theater productions including Florida Stage in West Palm Beach, Meadow Brook Theatre in Detroit and Des Moines Playhouse.
Randy was always an absolute joy to work with and so loved BEYOND THE RAINBOW and the many productions and casts.
Randy had also penned a short play about his father's military service in World War II, in History Theatre's Under the Stars & Stripes: Stories of WW II.
For more than three decades, Randy had written for a number of Twin Cities theaters, including Park Square and Red Eye Theatre. For many years, Randy was an Associate Member of the Playwrights’ Center and wrote theatre & classical music reviews for the Star Tribune.