George Curtiss Randolph, Jr. President and Founder
George Randolph’s commitment to the arts has taken many forms, from dancer to choreographer, director, producer, and educator. A former principal dancer with the Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble (New York) and Les Ballets Jazz de Montreal, George has over 25 years of international dance performance and education experience in Canada, Europe, and the U.S. His expertise has been leveraged as an adjudicator for many dance festivals across Canada. Since 1992, he has led the Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts as President/Founder.
View George's full bio here.
Darlene Spencer Artistic Director
Darlene Spencer received a Master of Fine Arts Degree from York University in Theatre Performance and is a graduate of the University of Waterloo Drama Department.
She has been a director for the past 20 years of theatrical productions, documentaries, educational and industrial films, and digital videos. Selected directorial credits include Falling; A Wake by Gary Kirkham, Sister Annunciata's Secret by Nonnie Griffin, Pride and Prejudice adapted by Christina Calvit, String of Pearls by Michele Lowe, Three Cities in the Life of Norman Bethune by Tim Brady and Bradyworks, The Children's Hour by Lillian Hellman, Our Country's Good and The Grace of Mary Traverse by Timberlake Wertenbaker, Spring Awakening by Frank Wedekind, Les Belles Soeurs by Michel Tremblay, The Crucible by Arthur Miller, Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, Water by Brad Curtain, as well as the musicals Little Women, Nunsense 2, and The Apple Tree.
Darlene is an actor who has performed in theatres across Canada, and for television and film. Lastly, she is an educator who has taught at the University of Waterloo and York University.
Ron Singer Artistic Director Emeritus
Ron Singer was Artistic Director of the Randolph Academy of the Performing Arts from 1992 to 2009. Ron trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama (London, England), Neighborhood Playhouse and HB Studios (NY) and at the Michael Shurtleff Studios (Los Angeles).
As a professional actor, Singer has performed in feature films, TV series and commercials. Singer has directed more than 30 professional theatre productions, serving as Director of Actors Workshops (Stratford), Artistic Director of Young Companies (National Arts Centre, Ottawa), the first Artistic Director of Young People's Theatre (Toronto), and Associate Director (Toronto Arts Productions, St. Lawrence Centre).
In television, Singer assisted the director of the award- winning ABC series, Barney Miller, and was the director of a documentary special for Group W Cable TV (Los Angeles).At Expo '67 in Montreal, Singer was Assistant Head of Theatre. He has also served as Assistant Head of Productions (National Arts Centre), Executive Director of Group W Cable TV (Channel 10, Los Angeles), Producer of Citypulse News (CITY-TV, Toronto), producer for TV production development (Solnicki Productions, Toronto), Production Co-ordinator on Double Your Money quiz show (Rediffusion TV, London, England) and Vice-President of the Entertainment Division (Seabaco Group, Toronto and Moscow). For Seabaco/SAV Entertainment, Singer completed a 30-month consultancy in Canada, the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe where he was engaged in the development of major entertainment projects.
Five of Singer's plays for young people have been produced across the country. He has also worked as an entertainment critic (CFRB Radio and Standard Broadcast News), arts and entertainment reporter (CBC Variety Tonight), Director of Research for the Sadat mini-series (Columbia Pictures Television, Los Angeles), and Casting Director for Funny Farm (CTV).
Ron Singer is now Professor Emeritus in the Department of Theatre at York University and over his 32-year tenure at the University, he held positions as Associate Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts, Director of the Graduate Program in Theatre (two terms) and Chair of the Department of Theatre (two terms).
Presently, Singer is one of the Executive Producers of the critically acclaimed series Life's Little Miracles. He was one of the Executive Producers and co-creators of the series Class Act, which showcased the trials and tribulations of those trying to break into the world of show business and the rigors of their training at the Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts. Additionally, Singer is Executive Producer and Producer on the TV series Med Students, Heartbeats, Trauma Team, Situation Critical (Discovery US) and Plastic Makes Perfect (Slice).
Grace DeLottinville General Manager
Grace DeLottinville is the General Manager of the Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts. Grace has nine years’ experience in arts administration and was most recently Director of Administration and Development for the Canadian Children’s Opera Company. Prior to that position Grace was Operations Director for Ballet Jörgen Canada and the Executive Director of the Oakville Arts Council, where she was instrumental in securing additional municipal funding for the arts.
Prior to working in the arts, Grace specialized in marketing and communications for KPMG and the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants, and was also formerly the Director of Marketing for the Industrial Accident Prevention Association.
Grace also had a successful career in educational publishing, both in the United States and Canada, with Addison-Wesley Publishers. Her work included both editing and presenting workshops to teachers nationally and internationally. She has a Masters degree in Drama from the University of Toronto and a Bachelor’s degree in Education, with a specialty in English, from Northwestern University, Evanston IL.
Lauren Randolph Admissions and Financial Aid Officer
Lauren Randolph’s commitment to educating and inspiring young performers has spanned almost 30 years. For 12 years, she managed day-to-day operations of the Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts. Among other duties, she oversaw policy and curriculum implementation for an industry-leading post-secondary program providing professional training for aspiring Triple Threat talent. In addition, she created and developed Randolph Kids, a highly respected recreational arts education program for children aged 3-17, which generated ancillary musical theatre training-based projects in partnership with the City of Toronto and the York Region District School Board. For five years she was also executive producer of the Randolph Young Company, a performance-based youth theatre group that staged three large-scale musical productions per year. More recently Lauren developed the performing arts curriculum at Stardust Academy, a new performing arts school in Amman, Jordan.
Prior to that, Lauren spent 15 years as a certified head coach, developing the skills of national-level rhythmic gymnasts, and leading them to compete at the World Championships and Pan Am Games. During that time, she was recognized by the Canadian Rhythmic Sportive Gymnastic Federation as Coach of the Year. Lauren herself was a member of the national team, representing Canada at the World Championships in Munich.
Elaine O’Neal Communications & Alumni Affairs
Prior to joining the Randolph Academy in October 2007, Elaine O’Neal served as Communications Specialist for VLPR, a public relations agency serving the arts and entertainment and hospitality industry. Before that, she was Communications and Development Director for Soundstreams Canada, a groundbreaking new music concert and festival series.
Elaine hails from New York where she held several senior communications positions, including executive speechwriter, with Viacom and NBC. Elaine developed her writing and editing skills at publisher John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Elaine’s own background in the arts includes directing, producing, and performing in theatrical productions. Elaine holds a B.A. in English and Economics from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.
Rebecca Lovering Spencer Student Services
Prior to working at Randolph, Rebecca worked 20 years in the Social Service sector. Rebecca works as a liaison between students, faculty and administration to encourage open lines of communication and unbiased treatment of the student body. She also provides resources to students related to lifeskills, housing, health, welfare, disabilities and special needs.
Laurie Ma College Events and Administration
Laurie Ma is not only an alumnus of the Randolph Academy College Program, but also of the Kids Program. Laurie literally grew up at 736 Bathurst, and eventually was hired as an administrative assistant for the summer camp program. In October 2009, she became student events coordinator and was promoted in January 2011 to college events and administration. She began her career in the performing arts as a child, appearing in PSAs, commercials, and Canadian television programs between the ages of 8 and 12; more recently she has appeared in episodes of the Teletoon series My Babysitter’s a Vampire.
College Program
Rosanna Saracino Coordinator—Acting Division
Italian-Canadian director/writer/dramaturg Rosanna Saracino (MFA Directing, York U.) is a co-founder and Artistic Director of REDHANDED film and theatre. Director credits in theatre include: The Vagina Monologues (VDay, St. Lawrence Center featuring Rachel McAdams, Judith Thompson, and a cast of 33 women, hosted by Shirley Douglas), Savage/Love (Factory Theatre Mainspace), BROTHERS by Wendy Lill (Glenn Gould Studio Theatre), Smut Boy and My Sad Penis by Stephen Massicotte (Nightwood Theatre), DEATH: a comedy (at Motel, in association with One Yellow Rabbit).
Director credits in film include: …things that go bump in the night, featuring former RWB prima ballerina Evelyn Hart in her acting debut (shot on 16mm, BravoFACT!), The One (shot on 35 mm), The Ring (featured at the Hysteria Festival, shot on 35 mm), pilot episode for Gears TV The Gears meet Mother Superior (screened at Sons and Daughters, shot on HD), music video for The Gears, and a PSA and a Documentary for Ernestine’s Shelter (both screened at the opening of the new shelter).
Mark Wilson Coordinator —Vocal Division
Mark Wilson is a graduate of the University of Toronto’s Opera Division, has an Artist Diploma from U of T, as well as an honours B.F.A from York University. He sings with the Canadian Opera Company as a long time member of its chorus. He has been a company member of the Stratford Festival, and has sung in opera and in concert with the Manitoba Opera, Vancouver Opera, Festival Canada, Festival of the Sound, Aldeburgh Festival, New Music Concerts, and Westben Arts Festival, among others.
Sandra Long Coordinator—Dance Division
Sandra Long (A.R.A.D., A.I.S.T.D.) has been inspiring young dancers with her highly creative and energetic style for 20 years. Ms Long is a Registered Teacher with the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) and the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance (ISTD). She has trained students in all levels of examinations including the very prestigious Solo Seal Award. Sandra has trained with the top Ballet and Modern dance professional in Canada, the United States and England and is a graduate of the Royal Ballet School in London, England. A celebrated Choreographer, Ms Long has created pieces for performance in many countries including Spain,England, Greece and the United States. Ms. Long is also a Can Fit Pro Certified Personal Trainer and Fitness Instructor.
Deborah Tennant Coordinator—Vocal Tutorial
Deborah Tennant is in her 15th year teaching voice and audition technique at the Randolph Academy and is the coordinator for the Vocal Tutorial Area.
Deborah has a busy and varied career as an actor, singer, teacher and writer. She graduated from the respected Studio 58 Theatre program at Vancouver Community college, where she was on the Dean's Honours List and received the VCC Scholarship for academic achievement. Since graduating she has continued her training at the Banff Centre (Young Professionals Master Class, Bernard Hopkins, David William); Workshops for Professional Actors (Carol Rosenfeld, David Craig); Equity Showcase (Patsy Rodenburg, John Karr, David Rotenberg, Arnold Mungioli); and private vocal work with David Dunbar and Cornelius Reid.
Deborah has worked at theatres from Vancouver to Halifax in everything from Shakespeare and Moliere to Gershwin, Burt Bachrach and Gilbert and Sullivan. Favourite roles include Ruth in Blithe Spirit, Maria in The Sound of Music, Elmire in Tartuffe and Marilla in Anne of Green Gables. She has been a member of the Stratford Festival Company, playing Sister Margaretta in The Sound of Music and appearing in Inherit the Wind.
She has a long list of TV and Film credits including A—The Scarlet Letter, Due South, Sister Mary Explains it All, The Newsroom, Sue Thomas F.B.Eye, Martha Behind Bars and Degrassi, as well as commercials.
She has done workshops on Vocal Presentation for Second City, been a guest lecturer at George Brown College, and has a lively private studio.
Kids Program
Alison Daley Kids Program Coordinator
Alison Daley is an independent choreographer and performance artist originally from Toronto, Ontario. She has performed and shown her own work in festivals and independent productions across Canada, Europe and Asia. After completing her formal dance training in Montreal she took off to Japan where she danced with a Tokyo based company, Tokyo Space Dance. Returning to Canada in 2006 she started to create again and has shown work in both Montreal and Toronto. She holds a BFA in Dance from Concordia University, a Bachelor of Education from Queens University (with a specialist in Arts Education) as well as an MFA in Choreography from York University. Alison is very passionate about giving children an outlet to express their unique individuality and build confidence through the performing arts. She is so excited to join the Randolph team!
Nicole Sloan Kids Program Administrator
A graduate of the Randolph Academy, Nicole has been working in the industry for over 10 years. She has performed on stages across Canada and is an award-winning choreographer with a special love for Tap and Musical Theatre. She has been on faculty for both the College and Kids programs at the Randolph Academy, and served as the Kids Program Coordinator for 3 years. During that time Nicole was instrumental in starting up the Randolph Dance Crew. Recently Nicole worked as the assistant producer for Show Choir Canada, as well as Floor Director for W Network’s game show “Deal With It”. She is thrilled to be back at Randolph and excited to work with this year’s Glee Choir.
“When you learn, teach; when you get, give.” – Maya Angelou
