Q with Tom Power

Weyni Mengesha is an award-winning Canadian theatre maker and the artistic director of Toronto’s Soulpepper Theatre Company. Five years ago, she reworked Tennessee Williams’s historic play “A Streetcar Named Desire,” which was a resounding hit for Canadian theatre. Now, Soulpepper has remounted the production. Weyni joins Tom to talk about the changes she made to “A Streetcar Named Desire,” its legacy, and why it still matters today.

When she was just 17, Chappell Roan signed her first record deal with a major label and moved to Los Angeles. But when the deal fell through, she returned home to Missouri where she began soul searching and trying to figure out her next steps. Chappell talks to Tom about being discovered on YouTube, how she responded when she was dropped from her record label in 2020, and what inspired her critically acclaimed debut album, “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess.”

The Canadian artist Miles Greenberg says flesh is his medium. He’s no stranger to pushing his body to the extreme for his art. Some of the things Miles has done include standing on a plinth dripping in fake blood, embracing a stranger while naked and blind, and walking on a conveyor belt all day. For his latest work, “Respawn,” he wrestles and stabs versions of himself in front of a live audience for nine hours straight — and if you’re asking why, Miles has a very good answer. He sits down with Tom to shed light on the piece and his journey in art.

Dallas Smith was the lead singer of the Canadian band Default, which had a big hit called “Wasting My Time.” But after a long, lonely time on the road, Dallas decided to make a career change that took him from rock stardom to country music dominance. He sits down with Tom to talk about the risk that comes with that decision, why he stayed in British Columbia instead of moving to Nashville, and how you actually pronounce the name of his old band.

When the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Katori Hall was approached to write a musical about Tina Turner, she got to fly to Switzerland to spend some one-on-one time with Tina herself. Katori joins Tom to discuss the concerns the late music icon had about the way her story would be told, what they learned they have in common, and why it’s important to look at our favourite musicians and artists as people — not as myths.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Seinfeld, Veep) is best known for her quick wit, physical comedy and — when it comes to her character Elaine Benes — her dance moves. But in her new film, “Tuesday,” the Emmy-winning actor flexes her dramatic chops. Julia joins Tom to discuss the film, why she’s more comfortable talking about death these days, and what happens to your comedy when you get mentally healthy.

How do you step away from your most famous creation? Mohawk artist Walter Scott is about to find out. More than a decade after creating his beloved “Wendy” series of graphic novels, Walter is taking a long hiatus from his cartoon alter-ego. He joins Tom to tell us how he came up with Wendy — a neurotic young party girl who’s trying to make it as an artist — and why his latest book, “The Wendy Award,” is going to be her final adventure for now.

The Canadian director Ally Pankiw is no stranger to working with funny people. She’s directed comedian Mae Martin in their series “Feel Good” as well as comedy actor Annie Murphy in the dark satire “Black Mirror.” Now, she’s released her debut feature film, “I Used to Be Funny,” which stars real-life comedian Rachel Sennott as a stand-up comedian who’s struggling with PTSD. Ally joins Tom in studio to discuss the film and why she wanted the story to capture the coexistence of joy and despair.

The Griffin Poetry Prize is the world’s largest prize for poetry written or translated in English. This year, it went to “Self-Portrait in the Zone of Silence,” which was written in Spanish by the Mexican poet Homero Aridjis and translated into English by the Canadian poet George McWhirter. Tom catches up with George to talk about his big win, his collaboration with Homero, and the art of translation.

This week, the singer-songwriter and French cultural icon Françoise Hardy died at 80 years old. Back in 2018, she spoke with Tom about her memoir, “The Despair of Monkeys and Other Trifles.” It was a rare English interview that looked back on her decades-long career and her early doubtful days, as well as some incredible stories about Bob Dylan and Iggy Pop. Today, we revisit Françoise's conversation with Tom in honour of her passing.