Saved by the Grinch

Cindy Lou Who might have saved the Grinch, and Christmas, but the Grinch saved Randy Leslie.

Unlike his jock brother, Kevin, Randy was bullied and beaten as a youngster in Ottawa. Dancing in the rain with an umbrella after seeing Fred Astaire Singing in the Rain put him in the cross hairs of the neighbourhood bullies.

Being perceived as normal was difficult in those days. 

And then the Grinch found him.

He starred as the Grinch in Grade 5. He found his spot; he knew he was going to be OK. He has been working ever since, 220 shows and counting.

Public schools get a bad rap, but school saved Randy. It was where he found drama, music and dance. The seed of who he is today was nourished and grown in a regular school in Ottawa. 

Just acting and singing was never enough. At 14, he started his own theatre company with the show, The Wizard of OTT (this stood for Ottawa). He wrote it. 

It was an educational musical he proudly took on the road. His performing, even at this young age, intertwined education with art. He toured, wrote shows, performed, danced and directed with the Teen Jeuness. 

It was a tour sponsored by Planned Parenthood to use skits and music to teach teens about their teen problems.

People were watching this amazing kid, awards were won, scholarships awarded, acceptance into Queen’s University and Juilliard Drama School were offered.

Who would have thought Adolf Tolman, an irascible director, would offer something better.

Yup – money! A professional gig. 

Tolman, who could have given Ebenezer Scrooge a run for his money, put on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The cast had five members – you can guess the rest. Lots of running off stage and costume changes. Lots!

If he wasn’t singing, Randy, who was also a member of the Toronto Children’s Opera Chorus, was back stage on crews, learning how to run a show. 

The scariest moment in all those years, on stage came early when he played Harold in Harold and Maude. He had a three-minute dialogue with a detective who ignored his cue to come on stage.

While his gut and sphincter tightened, the fear didn’t show. He just did a monologue instead.

As soon as he finished, worried sick, he ran to the dressing room to find out what had happened to the detective.

He was fixing his hair. Some people have less dedication or better hair than others.

Randy knew he needed to go to Toronto, but how to afford it. He ended up cleaning a friend’s house. He must have done a great job because his friend’s connections helped him land a job at the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts. He was there for 12 years, learning, learning, learning. 

He won the Toronto Leadership of the Arts award. “It’s named after me,” he said with a laugh, “and I’m not even dead yet.”

How did we luck out and get such a talent in Kelowna? 

The Rotary Centre for the Arts did a Canada-wide search for a new director in 2001. Randy took the position, but soon realized he wanted to do more than he could in that position, so he left. 

Around the same time, he met Nate Flavel. Not only did Nate bring talent and marketing savvy, but shared Randy’s passion for education and performing arts. Nate was a radio broadcaster for Sun FM, worked for Castanet in sales, and also worked for Bridges Transitions, an educational software program for teachers. 

They became partners in business and in life. 

In those days, they worked out of the old Food Bank warehouse and would rent the Mary Irwin Theatre (Rotary Centre for the Arts – RCA) to perform the shows. 

One day, a man dropped by and asked if they wanted a theatre. Their five-year plan suddenly became a five-month plan and The Kelowna Actors Studio (KAS) was born. 

They went from three shows in 2002 to 10 shows a year in 2019 with the help of the new theatre at The Workroom.

“You can do everything; acting, singing, directing, teaching. What is your favourite?”

There was no hesitation.

“Directing,” he said as his eyes lit up and his speech became more animated.

“And teaching.”

Randy is the eye of a hurricane, calm, but surrounded by incredible activity. No one works harder. A laugh is never far away. Everyone is happily held to his idea of quality. The air is electric. You can feel the creativity. 

If you’re lucky enough to be in a show he is directing, you will never be the same. He sees things you didn’t know you had, and he nurtures those feelings, makes them take shape and then steps back and you think you did it yourself. 

He did it for me when I played Grandma in Billy Elliot. 

“If I stop learning, you’ll know I’m dead,” Randy said.

True to his words, education is integral to KAS. The Academy, a private arts school he helped found, has been made leaner and smaller by COVID, but not stopped. 

Parents are delighted that KAS provides a haven where all kids are welcome to learn, perform and be accepted. With stringent social distancing, they are safe, physically and mentally, to discover who they are. 

Adults find refuge in the KAS fertile soil to dust off their cares and be kids again, whether on stage or in an adult class.

Many young adults are becoming professionals, thanks to Randy and the staff of KAS and the Academy. This gives him great pleasure.

Randy is all the above, but he has a heart bigger than B.C., which I discovered when my Kelowna Community Chorus did the off-stage chorus for The Hunchback of Notre Dame musical. 

We have all ages in the choir, and a gentleman who had mobility issues. Randy singled him out during the break and made him feel valued. He cares. That is rare and special. 

A lesser person would have crumbled under his childhood, perhaps have become embittered. Not Randy. 

He radiates love and laughter. Knowing Randy, you walk taller, feel valued, yes, feel talented. This is one of the many gifts; Randy gives freely.

“What can we do for you?” I asked. 

“Support us through this crisis. Support all the arts. Take a class, even donate if you can. Know that we are alive and doing our best to continue to bring you quality theatre.”

So, mom and dad, when you see your kids dancing and singing in the rain, with or without an umbrella, take them to KAS. Now!

Randy and Nate will make them feel accepted and, yes, normal.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.