The Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA) announced today that this year’s recipient is visionary and arts pioneer George Curtiss Randolph, whose immeasurable contributions span more than 30 years in the arts and arts education. Devoted to nurturing the careers of budding artists, Mr. Randolph is currently the President of the Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts which he founded in 1992. Synonymous with Triple Threat® training, the Randolph Academy allows aspiring performers in Canada to learn acting, singing and dancing skills in equal measure, giving rise to a new breed of performer able to meet the needs of an increasingly demanding and dynamic industry.
Even as a dancer, George Randolph was an important role model as the only black dancer with Les Ballets Jazz de Montreal, a position he took after performing for several years with the Alvin Ailey Repertory Company in the U.S. From 1985 to 1992, he presided over Toronto’s Randolph Dance Theatre, attracting world-class talent in musical theatre, jazz and hip-hop. In 2011, George co-founded Show Choir Canada, which produces Canada’s only national show choir competition. He twice travelled to China (2014, 2015) with Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne to explore and develop arts education curriculums in Shanghai. Prior to that, he was instrumental in establishing a first-ever recreational performing arts program for youth in Amman, Jordan.
Alumni who have been impacted by George Randolph can be found on Broadway, in London’s West End and on Shaw, Stratford and Mirvish stages – including such stars as Olivier-winning choreographer Sergio Trujillo (Tony Award-winning Jersey Boys and Memphis, On Your Feet), Paul Nolan (Broadway’s Once, the Musical; Jesus Christ Superstar) and Tara Young (Artistic Director for Cirque du Soleil’s Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL World Tour).
The Toronto arts community also benefits from Mr. Randolph’s commitment as owner and operator of the Randolph Centre for the Arts, maintaining a heritage building that serves the community not only as a vibrant live music and theatre space and school but also a place of worship, the building’s original purpose. George Randolph’s immeasurable contributions to the arts in Canada have been recognized by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television, the Ontario Black History Society, dance Immersion and Harbourfront Centre.