I'm welcoming back for the second time actor, playwright, director, and international model Abigail Whitney.

The last time she was here, we talked about the show The Noose, written by renowned Haitian playwright Frankétienne, starring Edmond Clark as Polydor and Louco St. Fleur as Pyram—two Haitian men from different social levels living in a small New York apartment during the '80s. The play ran at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre in October 2024.

Abigail joins me this time to talk about directing McBitches, written by Sophie Macintosh.

Then, it's a quick Oscars chat with friends and cinephiles Gordon Gingras and Anne Gallagher.

Music: Molly Johnson 'Boogie Street'

Alica Hall, the Executive Director of Nia Centre for the Arts shares some of the incredible programs they offer to Black youth, artists, and the community at large. She’ll also highlight some exciting upcoming events.

Plus a Black History Month segment featuring a mix of poetry, dub poetry, spoken word, and music by Black women.

Award-winning actor, Peter Fernandes talks about his journey as an actor and playing 'Juicy' in Fat Ham.

Fat Ham by James Ijames

A Canadian Stage Production

Feb 15 - Mar 9, 2025

https://www.canadianstage.com/

A bold and hilarious reimagining of Shakespeare’s most famous tragedy. Helmed by celebrated Canadian director Philip Akin – who directed last season’s hit production of THE LEHMAN TRILOGY – FAT HAM features an exemplary cast led by beloved actor Peter Fernandes as Juicy with David Alan Anderson, Raven Dauda, Nehassaiu deGannes, Virgilia Griffith, Tawiah M’Carthy, and Tony Ofori. A thrilling and hilarious remake of Shakespeare’s HAMLET set against the backdrop of the American South, in FAT HAM, Juicy must throw a cookout to celebrate his mother’s remarriage to his late father’s brother after receiving a ghostly visit from his recently deceased father. Striking an eerie resemblance to that classic tale, Juicy – a young, queer Black man - must grapple with familial tensions, a quest for justice, and his own identity as he determines his next move. However, faced with the same questions as Hamlet, Juicy ultimately finds different answers.

Plus, a selection of audiobooks by Black authors in honour of Black History Month.

Artist, Deena Pagliarello aka Deena Draws joins me to discuss her journey from Fine Arts to Illustration, shares some educational tools for emerging artists in the field, and talks about showcasing her work at Comic Cons.

Then another wonderful audio presentation from The Wireless Theatre Company with 'Time Travel Inc' by Peter Davis. A new employee gets some on-the-job training about a new technology.

Music: Kellylee Evans 'Questioning my path' and I dip into the archives with True's 'Comin' In'

In this episode, I'm joined by director Alison Duke of Oya Media, who shares insights into her work on the documentary Bam Bam: The Sister Nancy Story. The film explores the life of reggae legend Sister Nancy and dives into the story behind her breakout hit, Bam Bam, the most-sampled reggae song in history.

I’ll also talk about the powerful film Hard Truths, written and directed by Mike Leigh and starring Marianne Jean-Baptiste (Secrets and Lies) and Michelle Austin. The story follows two sisters living completely different lives, and I’ll explain why this one really resonated with me.

And before he became an Oscar-nominated director, I had the chance to interview Croatian filmmaker Nebojša Slijepčević about his Palme d'Or and European Film Award-winning short film The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent. Based on a real 1993 incident aboard a Bosnian train, we discuss the moral dilemma at the heart of the film and its universal themes.

Music: 'Bam Bam' by Sister Nancy

As usual you can find me on IG/FB and Bluesky under the handle tmtmwithdonnag or via the CIUT website: www.ciut.fm/tmtm

I have back-to-back interviews with Amélie Martyn, a young producer working on the play Other Desert Cities, running from January 22 to February 2, 2025, at Alumnae Theatre.

After that, I'll be catching up with Alphonso King Jr. about his new community project, Pink Cinema, a series of screenings of 2SLGBT films curated by popular vote, launching with The Ritz on January 20, 2025. We also tease February's screenings and chat about his other community initiatives, Mingle and Poz Planet Magazine.

Soprano, Denise Williams and I chat about the reducing space for the Arts in schools, founding No Strings Theatre to fill the gap and the upcoming concert Ahmal and the Night Visitors on Jan 11, 2025 at Lawrence Park Community Church. Performances at 3pm and 7 pm.

Then regular contributor, Heidy M, arts and culture writer and founder of Hyemusings.ca shares her take on Pedro Almodóvar's The Room Next Door; the award-winning Latvian animated feature, Flow; then we exchange thoughts on Robert Eggers interpretation of Nosferatu.

I have the pleasure of chatting with writer/director Jennifer Adcock about Discovery networks' In With the Old, where she chronicles the journey of sibling duo Edward and Kathi Peill as they transform UNESCO's 140-year-old Lunenburg Schoolhouse into modern condo units, all while preserving its rich history and significance to the local community.

Then, stick around for an old-time radio episode of Our Miss Brooks starring Eve Arden (oldwaveradio.com). Get ready for some laughs!

Christmas/Holiday movies can be anything you choose, according to my guests. Journalist Neil Armstrong discusses the TV series Get Millie Black and revisits the novel Sweetness in the Skin by Ishi Robinson. Then, he, Anne Gallagher, and I chat about the various iterations of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. After playing It's December, a track by Alex Bird and the Jazz Mavericks from their Another Christmas Day album, Gordon Gingras and arts and culture writer Heidy M (hyemusings.ca) share some classic Christmas films and modern classics (including ghost stories). The show ends with Peace is the Only Way by Lenka Lichtenberg and Roula Said.

Nadine McNulty, the Artistic Director of Batuki Music Society and I discuss the formation of The Juno Award-winning Okavango African Orchestra and their December 20, 2024 concert featuring the Queen of South African music-Lorraine Klaasen, kora virtuoso Diely Mori Tounkara, exceptional tama player Pape Ndiaye, Congolese soulful singer Mis Blandine and accomplished bassist Dally Dominic.

Plus I play a story told by Comfort Iyase Ero called The Storyteller and the Seven Days Story.

Music by

Lorraine Klaassen 'La reine'

Mis Blandine 'Makambo'

Okavango African Orchestra 'Ngaisangane'