Q with Tom Power

Nearly 40 years ago, Ann-Marie MacDonald shook up Canadian theatre with Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet), an irreverent comedy that flipped the script on two of Shakespeare’s most tragic heroines. But when she first penned it, she wasn’t thinking about love, tragedy or even comedy — she was out for revenge against Shakespeare's "cry-and-die" roles for women. Now, Canadian Stage is remounting the production in Toronto with Ann-Marie starring as Constance Ledbelly. She joins Tom Power in the Q studio to reflect on the groundbreaking play, what it took to champion its controversial lesbian kiss in the 1980s, and what it feels like to step back into the lead role for the first time in a quarter of a century.

Teagan Johnston is a multidisciplinary singer-songwriter with a knack for writing evocative, beautiful lyrics. She’s toured North America, Japan and Europe, and even performed at director David Lynch’s private nightclub in Paris. Teagan joins Tom Power to talk about her new album, Big Time, and what it took to make it entirely on her own terms. She shares how themes of identity and family shape her lyrics, how teaching kids music helped her fall back in love with making it, and the dream that inspired her song Take Me to the Trailer.

Forget the crooked nose and the bubbling cauldron. For her new Crave series YAGA, award-winning Canadian playwright and director Kat Sandler turns Slavic folklore upside down, reimagining the mythical witch Baba Yaga as a complex, sexually liberated woman who turns the tables on bad men. The eight-part murder mystery series is an adaptation of Kat’s celebrated play of the same name. She sits down with Tom Power to talk about reclaiming the narrative of the crone, channeling overlooked female rage into a TV anti-hero, and what it took to bring her hit stage play to the screen alongside stars Carrie-Anne Moss and Hudson Williams. YAGA is streaming now on Crave.

When Noam Tomaschoff ordered an at-home DNA test on a whim, he didn't expect to learn anything earth-shattering. But before the results even arrived, his parents revealed a secret they had kept for decades: he was conceived via sperm donation, meaning the man who raised him wasn't his biological father. Digging deeper into the results, Noam made another startling discovery — he had more than 35 half-siblings scattered across North America. The Toronto-born actor, writer and director sits down with Tom Power to share how he navigated that identity shock, and how turning the experience into an award-winning musical helped him make sense of it all. Our Little Secret: A True New Musical opens at Toronto’s CAA Theatre tonight.

If you grew up on ’80s and ’90s action movies, you’re probably familiar with Dolph Lundgren. He played the towering Soviet boxer Ivan Drago opposite Sylvester Stallone in Rocky IV, He-Man in the original live-action Masters of the Universe, and more recently, he’s been kicking butt in The Expendables franchise. But long before Hollywood came calling, Dolph was a chemical engineering student headed to MIT on a Fulbright scholarship. His entire trajectory shifted when a chance encounter with pop icon Grace Jones pulled him into the whirlwind of New York’s Studio 54. Now, a new documentary, Dolph: Unbreakable, traces his journey from a painful childhood in Sweden to global superstardom. Dolph joins Tom Power to talk about his unlikely path from academia to Hollywood, how he nearly died performing some of his own stunts, and how he managed to channel his severe childhood trauma through martial arts and acting.

Last week, the world said goodbye to Sir Patrick Stewart — the British stage and screen actor best known for playing Captain Jean-Luc Picard on Star Trek: The Next Generation and Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men film franchise. In memory of Patrick, we revisit his 2023 conversation with Tom Power, where he looked back on his extraordinary six-decade career.

For more than 50 years, Marina Abramović has used her own body to push the boundaries of performance art. Now, as she approaches her 80th birthday, she’s preparing to stage her most ambitious — and most autobiographical — work yet, Balkan Erotic Epic. The bold new performance piece draws on ancient Balkan folk rituals to explore sexuality, spirituality, fertility and death. In this candid conversation with Tom Power, Marina details how the project has allowed her to achieve emotional liberation from her childhood in former Yugoslavia, her difficult relationship with her strict mother, and the past she’s still trying to make peace with.

Damhnait Doyle thought her days of making music were behind her. But after facing some personal hardships, an urge to reconnect with her authentic self led her back to songwriting. Now, the Juno-nominated musician and host of CBC Music’s Mornings is embracing the “weird kid” she was 30 years ago when she first broke onto the Canadian music scene with her hit song A List of Things. Damhnait joins Tom Power to talk about her new EP, Bird in Flames, and her simple message for middle-aged women: it’s never too late to get back to yourself.

Holland Taylor (Legally Blonde, Two and a Half Men) has had incredible success acting in hit movies and TV shows — but her transition to the screen was originally intended to bolster her theatre career. In this conversation with Tom Power, Holland shares how she honed her craft under legendary acting teacher Stella Adler, how having ADHD has helped her channel focus into her most intense roles, and why she chose not to meet Matthew McConaughey's mother before portraying her in the new series Brothers.

Documentary filmmaker John Wilson has a very particular way of seeing the world. For his acclaimed HBO series How To With John Wilson, he wandered the streets of New York City with a camera, following his curiosity into some bizarre and unexpectedly moving encounters with ordinary people. Now, he’s released his first feature documentary, The History of Concrete, using a similarly unconventional approach. John talks to Tom Power about how the camera has helped him connect with people in ways he never thought possible, why it was so hard to fund a movie about cement, and how a mundane material led to an unexpectedly spiritual reflection on impermanence.

Ten years after Leonard Cohen’s death, his songs are as alive as ever. In a special remote interview at Hotel2Tango in Montreal — the studio where he helped produce his father’s final albums — Juno-nominated musician Adam Cohen sits down with Tom Power to discuss bringing Leonard’s songs back to the stage on a new tribute tour featuring his 19-year-old son, Cassius. Adam opens up about grief, legacy and the complicated business of remembering someone who never had much time for nostalgia.

In 1989, a young singer from New Brunswick sparked an international frenzy across Quebec and Europe known as "Rochmania." That singer was Roch Voisine, who skyrocketed to fame overnight with his breakthrough hit, Hélène. While the craze was initially written off as short-lived pop hype, Roch has sustained a career in both official languages for nearly four decades. Fresh off his induction into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, he joins Tom Power to look back on surviving teen-idol stardom, staying grounded through his family life, and why he’s now honouring the legendary Gordon Lightfoot with his latest project, The Lightfoot Sessions.

Saskatchewan’s Tara Gereaux is the author of the novel Wild People Quiet, which was recently shortlisted for the Giller Prize — Canada's most prestigious literary award for fiction. Set in 1946, the book follows a secretary in a small prairie town who’s sacrificed everything to hide her Métis identity and pass as white. Tara joins Tom Power in the Q studio to talk about the book and how it was inspired by her own family history.

For more than five decades, Jayne Eastwood has been one of the most recognizable and beloved faces in Canadian comedy, film and television — from Goin’ Down the Road and SCTV to My Big Fat Greek Wedding. In 1972, she joined the iconic Toronto stage production of Godspell alongside a powerhouse cast including Martin Short, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin and Gilda Radner. Now, a new documentary, You Had To Be There, looks back at that legendary production, the friendships that came out of it and the extraordinary generation of Canadian comedy that followed. Jayne joins Tom Power to reflect on her time in Godspell, why she chose to build her career in Canada, and why she remains as brave as ever.

Since winning an Emmy for his role as Lenny Bruce on the hit series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Canadian actor Luke Kirby hasn’t slowed down. He talks to Tom Power about his new leading role as Detective Sergeant John Darcy on Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent, how his early days working with Canadian theatre legends felt like making it to the big leagues, and how back in high school, he actually predicted he’d one day play Lenny Bruce.

For decades, lyricist Bernie Taupin has partnered with Elton John to write some of popular music’s most iconic hits, including Tiny Dancer, Rocket Man and Bennie and the Jets. Now, at 76, he’s stepping into his own spotlight with The Sea Has No Mercy — his first solo album in nearly 40 years, and the first written entirely by and for himself. Bernie joins Tom Power to reflect on his 57 years with Elton, the evolution of his songwriting, and why he calls this new album the most satisfying record he’s ever made.

How do you take the songs of one of Canada’s most beloved bands and weave them into a story about exile, identity and starting over? Creators and performers Ahmed Moneka and Jesse LaVercombe join Tom Power to talk about their new musical, It’s a Good Life If You Don’t Weaken, inspired by the iconic music of The Tragically Hip. Set in 2002 in The Hip’s hometown of Kingston, Ont., the show follows an exiled Iraqi journalist who’s rebuilding his life in Canada. Ahmed and Jesse discuss the creative weight of representing Gord Downie’s legacy on the stage, their unlikely creative partnership, and how their own life journeys worked their way into the musical.

Diego Luna (Rogue One, Y Tu Mamá También) has been acting since he was a child, starting out in Mexican cinema before taking on Hollywood blockbusters and some of television’s biggest shows. This year, he returned to the Toronto International Film Festival as a director with his latest film, Ashes. Diego sits down with Tom Power in the Q studio to talk about the choices that have shaped his career, what it was like coming face-to-face with Darth Vader on the set of Rogue One, and what he’s still searching for as a storyteller.

Long before she stepped into her role as the intimidating, impeccably dressed host of The Traitors Canada and Les Traîtres, Karine Vanasse co-produced and starred in Polytechnique. Directed by Denis Villeneuve, the harrowing film fundamentally changed the national conversation around the 1989 École Polytechnique massacre, cementing it as an act of gender-based violence. Karine joins Tom Power to reflect on the fraught making of the film, its lasting real-world impact and why she ignored a teacher’s advice to quit acting.

Tracey Emin is one of Britain’s most provocative artists. She’s known for turning sex, trauma and heartbreak into boundary-breaking art. But after surviving aggressive bladder cancer and major surgery in 2020, her relationship with her body — and her art — fundamentally shifted. Spanning nearly 40 years of work from My Bed to her latest paintings, her retrospective, A Second Life, marks a profound new chapter. Tracey joins guest host Gill Deacon to talk about survival, healing through art and what it means to get a second shot at life.

As a kid in Montreal, Emily Hampshire (Schitt's Creek) was so self-conscious about performing that she’d only sing and dance inside her closet. She’s since gone on to become a six-time Canadian Screen Award winner best known for her role as Stevie Budd on the hit CBC comedy series Schitt’s Creek. Now, she’s joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the new series VisionQuest, playing an AI avatar tasked with teaching an android superhero about fun. Emily stops by the Q studio to talk about her new role, growing up as a theatre kid, and why she thinks Canadian storytelling is having such a massive global moment right now.

So Faint’s Hannah Georgas and Lyn Heinemann have known each other for nearly two decades, but they only recently became creative collaborators. Hannah is a multi-Juno-nominated artist (including two nods for songwriter of the year) and a member of Broken Social Scene, while Lyn is a newer face in the music industry who wrote her own music while working in health care. They join Tom Power to talk about the first time they met, how their paths diverged and what finally brought them together as a duo.

From Tommy Lee to Donald Trump to the Winter Soldier, Sebastian Stan isn’t afraid of disappearing into a role. In his new film, Fjord, he plays a Romanian father in Norway fighting to regain custody of his children. Sebastian joins Tom Power to discuss acting in his native language for the first time, drawing on his own immigrant roots, and how the role reshaped his perspective as a new dad.

Alyssa Martin is an award-winning Canadian choreographer known for blending modern dance with humour, surrealism and absurdity. Her new full-length piece, Landslide, makes its world premiere this month at Toronto’s Fall for Dance North Festival, where she’s this year’s artist-in-residence. Alyssa joins Tom Power to share her “elevator pitch” for modern dance, the punk ethos behind her dance company Rock Bottom Movement, and how her humorous approach to choreography has helped her make sense of some of life’s biggest questions.

Bestselling author Robert Harris (Conclave, Fatherland) has sold millions of books, many of which have been adapted into films. But Robert never actually planned to become a novelist. He joins Tom Power in the Q studio to discuss his new historical novel, Agrippa, which follows the Roman general and statesman Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa — the right-hand man of the Emperor Augustus. Robert shares how he accidentally stumbled into a fiction writing career, why the fall of ancient Rome reflects today’s political climate, and how rare Vatican access inspired Conclave.

Sometimes you have to give flowers to those who came before you. On her new album, So Delighted, Juno-winning jazz guitarist Jocelyn Gould is doing just that. The Winnipeg musician joins Tom Power to talk about honouring the legends who shaped her as an artist — from Wes Montgomery to Grant Green — and why the great organ trios of the '50s and '60s continue to inspire her. Plus, she sets up a track from the new record.

Edmonton’s Stacey Tookey is one of the most successful dance artists. She’s worked with legends like Bette Midler and Céline Dion. But Stacey really gained attention as a choreographer for So You Think You Can Dance Canada and its American counterpart. Now, Stacey is back directing and choreographing a new musical, Dancer, all about the first Canadian-bred horse to win the Kentucky Derby. Stacey joins Tom Power in the Q studio to tell him all about her lifelong journey in dance and how she’s turning dancers into horses.

Back in July, Canadian musicians Haley Blais and Sam Lynch came on Q to discuss why they decided to unite as True Mountain Laurel, a supergroup born from late-night harmonies, voice memos, and friendship. They joined Tom Power in studio to discuss their debut single, Angel So Bad, which is an ode to the moral trials associated with that oldest of human hobbies: gossiping.

The artist Kent Monkman is known for challenging the way Indigenous people have been represented over the centuries in Western art – often flipping the script so that Indigenous stories are front and centre. Now, Kent is unveiling his very first public art installation. It’s a 15-foot high sculpture called The Colony, and it was just unveiled as part of the Lassonde Art Trail in Toronto. The Colony features a group of larger-than-life beavers, who are singing, dancing, and celebrating. Kent speaks to Tom Power about the significance of having his first public art exhibition, why he chose beavers as the subject, and the humour he brings to dark subjects.

Canadian actor Rohan Campbell talks about his experience shooting the new Netflix suspense mini-series, Below, in Newfoundland alongside Josh Hartnett. Rohan sits down for our segment Getting to Know Q, answering a series of fast-paced questions covering everything from his Tim Hortons order to how he ended up in a Sabrina Carpenter video.

Canadian filmmaker Chandler Levack’s debut film I Like Movies was a huge hit, earning praise from folks like Adam Sandler and establishing Chandler as one to watch. This year, Chandler released her second film, called Mile End Kicks, that taps into her real-life story as a young music journalist coming up in Montreal. Back in April, Chandler joined Tom Power in the Q studio to talk about mining her own life for art, depicting 2011's Montreal, and working with Adam Sandler on her next film.

When Mahershala Ali was growing up, he was caught between two different passions: faith and creativity. His mother was a Baptist minister and his dad was a dancer. Mahershala decided to pursue acting, and is now an award-winning American actor with two Oscars, thanks to his roles in films like Moonlight and Green Book. But his latest role brings back his interest in faith. In Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother, he plays a hitman who is trying to balance his work with his faith and fatherly duties. Mahershala speaks with Tom Power about his latest role, what he was like growing up, and the connection between his faith and his creativity.

From his favourite Rush song to his go-to coffee order, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith answers some very important questions in a rapid-fire round of Getting to Know Q with Tom Power.

Josh Hartnett became one of Hollywood’s biggest stars in his early 20s, but instead of chasing fame, he started questioning what he actually wanted from his career. These days, he’s drawn to roles that surprise him — and might surprise the audience too. His latest role is no exception. In the new Netflix series, Below, Josh plays Calvin Penney, a fisherman from Newfoundland dealing with an unknown threat lurking beneath the water. He joined Tom Power to talk about falling in love with Newfoundland, mastering the accent and growing up in Minnesota with a musician father who taught him that family matters more than a job.

Cybèle Young has made a name for herself with her miniature paper sculptures. But in a new exhibition, Kamiphony, the Governor General’s Award-winning artist and author is putting a new twist on her work, building kinetic paper machines. Cybèle joins Tom Power to talk about how menopause and changes in her own body inspired this new project, and how her life as an artist completely changed when she discovered Japanese paper.

Before the gold medals, three-time Olympic champion ice dancer Tessa Virtue was just a nine-year-old girl trying to decide between ballet and skating. Now, years after retiring from competition, she’s stepping off the ice and onto the stage, performing without skates for the first time in her professional career. This month, at the Fall for Dance North Festival in Toronto, the Olympian will perform a brand new solo choreographed by Alyssa Martin. Tessa joins Tom Power to tell us what it means to return to dance on entirely different terms, what she’s discovered about life after the Olympics, and where she’s headed next.

If you’re a fan of rock music living in the Maritimes, things are looking good. That’s because there’s a deep lineage of incredible rock bands that came out of the East Coast back in the ’90s — and their influence is still felt today. Enter Gizmo, a new rock band out of Charlottetown, fronted by Julien Kitson. He grew up listening to ’90s slacker rock and Halifax groups like Thrush Hermit, Sloan and The Super Friendz. Not to mention, his dad fronted the Celtic rock band Rawlins Cross. Julien joins Tom Power to tell us why he wanted to incorporate East Coast influences into Gizmo’s debut album, All Your Worships. Plus, he sets up the record’s lead single, Antiques Roadshow.

Jordan Tannahill, the Giller Prize-shortlisted and Governor General's Award-winning playwright, director and novelist, has long used his work to shine a light on queer culture. His latest novel, The Living Realm, is no exception, but this time, there’s a ghostly twist. Set in Teufelssee — a famous cruising spot in Berlin’s Grunewald forest — the story follows an aging British archaeologist who’s convinced he’s seeing his deceased ex-lovers. Jordan joins Tom Power to discuss his own experiences in Teufelssee, why cruising makes him look at time differently, and how he embraces the spirit of the "eternal amateur."

Reality TV star Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi of Jersey Shore fame has traded New Jersey boardwalks for ghost-hunting in Ontario. She’s the star of the new Crave series Snooki: The Paranormal Rookie, which follows her to some of the province's most haunted locations as she learns paranormal investigation alongside a psychic medium. Snooki joins Q guest host Gill Deacon to discuss her lifelong interest in “ghosties” and aliens, her own experience with UFOs, and how she looks back on her time on Jersey Shore.

Juno Award-winning blues guitarist Colin James is opening up about his life and legacy in a new memoir, Playing the Changes. The book traces his journey from growing up in Regina through the ’60s and ’70s to the edge of superstardom just before his breakout 1988 self-titled debut. Packed with road stories and encounters with legends like Joni Mitchell, John Hammond, and Stevie Ray Vaughan, it’s an intimate look at an iconic Canadian career. Colin joins Tom Power to talk about his Saskatchewan roots, discovering his passion for the guitar, and the invaluable lessons he learned from his musical heroes.

Getting older can mean caring a little less about what you’re supposed to do, and a little more about what makes you happy. For Canadian musicians James Bryan and Jay Levine, that means bringing their iconic animated duo Prozzäk back to life. More than 25 years after their cartoon alter egos, Simon and Milo, became unlikely pop stars, James and Jay join Tom Power to reflect on their legacy, returning to the stage and hitting the road with the Vengaboys.

Though she may not be a household name, Darlene Love is a true musical icon. You know her voice from the timeless holiday anthem Christmas (Baby Please Come Home), but her legendary vocals also power classic hits like Monster Mash, Monday, Monday, Frank Sinatra's That’s Life, and Sam Cooke's Chain Gang. For years, Darlene provided uncredited lead and background vocals while under contract to Phil Spector — the famously abusive producer who systematically kept her from getting her due. A new documentary, Darlene Love: I Know Where I've Been, takes a look at her extraordinary life and career in music. Darlene sits down with Tom Power to share her remarkable story, reflect on decades behind the microphone, and reveal how she overcame the obstacles in her path to claim her spotlight.

Long before they were directing television, J Stevens was convinced they were going to be the next Serena Williams. But when they picked up a camcorder in high school, everything changed. Today, J is an award-winning filmmaker and one of the first openly non-binary filmmakers in the Directors Guild of Canada. They’re also one of the co-creators of Slo Pitch — a mockumentary series about a “loveable, queer, beer league softball team” that grew from a web series into a half-hour show on Crave. J sits down with Tom Power to talk about the show, how they’re telling queer stories with universal appeal, and the power of the camera in comedy.

Ed Helms (The Office, The Hangover) is an actor, comedian, musician, writer and podcaster. This year, he stars in two Canadian films that premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival: Smudge the Blades and The Stunt Driver. While in town for TIFF, Ed joined Tom Power to talk about playing a hot-headed hockey coach in Smudge the Blades — a fresh take on the underdog sports genre centring on an Indigenous hockey team in Northern Alberta. He explains why playing a “mean” character doesn’t come naturally to him, and how a deep heartbreak over the state of the world shaped his portrayal of one of his best-known characters, Andy Bernard. Plus, he shares stories about meeting the legendary George Carlin and chartering a jet straight from The Hangover set to make his call time for The Office.

Emma Pennell has come a long way as a singer. When they were a kid, the trees of Northern Ontario were their audience. Now, the two-spirit Indigenous soprano is singing for thousands with the Canadian Opera Company in a new production of Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata. Emma joins Tom Power to discuss their journey in opera, the hurdles they’ve overcome along the way, and why they see music as medicine.

Anna Lambe almost walked away from acting before landing her starring role on North of North. She had headed to Ottawa to study international development, deciding to focus less on acting and more on her activism for Indigenous rights. But it was the pull of North of North’s characters — with their genuine depth and nuance of Indigenous experiences — that finally brought her back to the screen. Earlier this year, she joined Tom Power for a special interview in Banff, and shared why none of her projects have felt more personal than this show and its current success.

In just four years since Aysanabee left his day job to pursue music, he’s played more than 400 shows, toured all over the world and was shortlisted for the Polaris Music Prize. He also made history as the first Indigenous artist to win Juno awards for both alternative album of the year and songwriter of the year. This past spring, Aysanabee joined Tom Power in the Q studio to talk about his new EP, Timelines, his recent Juno wins, and the moment that made him quit his day job and pursue a career in music.

The Canadian duo Majid Jordan is best known as one of the pillars of Toronto’s R&B sound. This past August, they released their fifth studio album, Two Roads. On the day of their hometown stop in the 6ix, Majid Al Maskati and Jordan Ullman joined Tom Power to talk about some of the first music they ever loved, what they think the best song they’ve ever written is, and the secret behind what’s kept them working together for 15 years.

A new box set celebrates the late Canadian jazz icon Oscar Peterson. It’s called Oscar Peterson: World Tour, and it features live concert recordings from around the globe spanning 1969 to 1996. Oscar’s wife, Kelly, and daughter, Céline, join Tom Power to recount stories from the road with the legendary Montreal pianist — from his quiet vulnerability to his reputation as a prankster. Plus, they share some of his personal poetry.

Kardinal Offishall is back with Firestarter Vol. 2: Everyday, Sometimes — the long-awaited follow-up to one of Canadian hip-hop's most iconic records of the early 2000s. He joins Tom Power to reflect on why now was the right moment for the sequel, what it was like collaborating with Idris Elba, and what continues to drive his creativity more than 30 years into his legendary career.