Canadian Screen Week 2015 kicked off with a win for Randolph Academy Founder and President George Randolph who received the Canadian Screen Award for Best Biography or Arts Documentary Program or Series as co-producer of UNSUNG: Behind the Glee. Mr. Randolph accepted the award at the gala on February 24, 2015, with co-producer Peter da Costa (da Costa Talent) and director Moze Mossanen. Presented as part of TVO Doc Studio, UNSUNG: Behind the Glee charts the journey of two Toronto high school show choirs as they battle time, nerves and each other to create an award-winning routine for the Show Choir Nationals, Canada’s National High School Glee Club Championships. Mr. Randolph and Mr. da Costa are co-founders of Show Choir Canada (www.showchoircanada.com).
Of the win, Mr .Randolph says, “Beyond the award, the win underscored for me the importance of not compromising your beliefs for the sake of commercialism.
“When we started shopping around the concept of a documentary, many production companies were only interested in cookie-cutter competition formats. We wanted to focus on how the performing arts changes young people’s lives, giving them new direction and hope. TVO took that chance and understood that there is a market for thought-provoking documentaries, and understood the necessity of arts training as a means to fulfilling personal development.
The moral of the story is: when doors are slammed in your face, just knock on more doors and somebody eventually will listen and take a chance on your point of view.”
UNSUNG: Behind the Glee offers a behind-the-scenes look at show choirs from Etobicoke School of the Arts and Wexford Collegiate School for the Arts. The schools have a healthy glee club rivalry, as each of them has won before at the Show Choir Nationals. Both are striving for a repeat performance at the third annual competition in Toronto.
Canadian Screen Week 2015 continued with another Randolph Academy-related win during the second gala, this time for Aislinn Paul, an alumnus of the Randolph Kids Program, who won for Best Performance in a Children’s or Youth Program or Series for the “My Own Worst Enemy” episode of Degrassi. Also among the CSA nominees were alumnus Carlos Bustamante, nominated for Best Host in a Pre-School, Children’s or Youth Program or Series as host of YTV’s The Next Star- Live Finale; and alumna Amy Wright, who is involved with choreography and casting of The Next Step which was nominated for Best Children’s or Youth Fiction Program or Series; and alumnus Adam Korson, nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Continuing Leading Comedic Role, for the “Mall My Children“ episode of Seed, which is also nominated for Best Comedy Series.
ABOUT THE RANDOLPH ACADEMY FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
Founded by George C. Randolph Jr., the Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts is a not-for-profit educational institution providing world-class performing arts training to young artists. Distinguished faculty and entertainment industry professionals shape Triple Threat® skills of dancing, acting, and singing in a college program (registered as a private career college under the Private Career Colleges Act, 2005), youth show choir program, and children’s recreational program. Faculty and alumni have appeared on Stratford, Shaw, Mirvish, Broadway (New York) and West End (London) stages, as well as Hollywood (Los Angeles).