I chat about National Canadian Film Day with Sharon Corder and Jack Blum, Tarragon Theatre Artistic Director, Mike Payette about the importance of the arts and his direction of Chelsea Woolley 's play "Paint This House With Love" and (from Germany) director Brenda Jorde on her first feature doc "The Homes We Carry" about the personal story of an Afro-German woman trying to connect with her Mozambican father screening Hot Docs.

Punctuate! Theatre's Lianna Makuch joins me to talk about directing "First Métis Man of Odessa", written & performed by Matthew MacKenzie & Mariya Khomutova. Lianna Makuch is a second generation Ukrainian Canadian theatre artist. She is as an actor, creator, instructor, and is an Artistic Producer with Pyretic Productions.

Matt and Mariya’s love spans continents, but distance can’t tame their passionate connection. After meeting on a theatre research trip in Kyiv, a Canadian Playwright and a Ukrainian artist spark up a romance that takes them from the beaches of the Black Sea to the banks of the North Saskatchewan River, through the onset of a global pandemic and the eruption of a brutal war, plus many moments of joy through it all including marriage and the birth of their son.

Joelle Peters and I discuss her play "Niizh," a coming-of-age comedy, inspired by YA romance novels, set on a reserve in Southwestern Ontario. The play follows the youngest of the ‘Little’ family, Lenna Little (Theresa Cutknife), who prepares to leave home for the first time. In the midst of this she meets Sam Thomas (Kole Durnford), who has returned to the reserve after many years away. Is there a meet-cute? Is there a fish fry? Is there a sax solo? Of course.

Joelle Peters is an Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) award-winning playwright and actor from Walpole Island First Nation, now based in Toronto and serving as the Interim Artistic Director of Native Earth Performing Arts. In 2020, Joelle received the Siminovitch Protégé Playwright prize.

Music by: Kindred and the Family Soul (We), Melanie Durrant (Sky) and Maxx Bitota (Poso Oyo)

My chat with librettist Kanika Ambrose about Obsidian Theatre and Tapestry Opera presentation of Of The Sea an all Black cast opera + Luis Fernandes introduces me to The Assembly Theatre and its upcoming shows, including Comic Books Live!

📸 Kanika's headshot by the brilliant Dahlia Katz was cropped for space but you can see Kanika's 3 new headshots on her Instagram account @kanikaambrose.

Music by motion (Feelin' It) and Wall Matthews and Aleatha Green (Nozeli In Passage / Jenny In Love)

The Toronto Irish Film Festival (March 24-26, 2023) is the focus with two featured guests: festival co-founder, John Galway chats about features and shorts + One Little Goat Theatre Company founder, Adam Seelig on directing Chapter 1 of "Finnegans Wake" performed by Richard Harte which screens as part of the Celebration of Joyce program. All screenings take place at the TIFF Bell Lightbox. Note: the instagram ticket giveaways contest ends Wednesday, March 22 at 5pm.

Spoken excerpts from "Finnegans Wake" performed by Richard Harte

Music: Amai Kuda (Earth), Kevin Kennedy (Finnegans Wake folk song) and Jeff Kearns (Soulphisticsted)

Soprano, Denise Williams has returned! This time the singer, arts educator, theatre founder and producer will discuss her 'Walk Together' concert series, which, this time, will be in collaboration with the Jubilate Singers. 'Roots and Intersections' is a concert featuring music from Toronto's African, Jewish and Muslim diasporas. Funded by the Ontario Arts Council. March 4th at Christ Church Deer Park.

Then neurologist and playwright, Dr. Suvendrini Lena and I discuss her love of theatre and her latest project, a "dramatic imagining of the celebrated poetry of Mahmoud Darwish (translated by Fady Joudah) and Lena Khalaf Tuffaha, in RUBBLE a mother and her family in Gaza receive a courtesy call: “You have 58 seconds to leave your home before an explosion. Run.” A presentation by Aluna Theatre and Theatre Passe Muraille, on stage at Passe Muraille February 25 – March 18.

Music by Maza Meze (Sallam Allay)

Antiguan-born, Canadian singer Denise Williams talks about being a Black soprano and African-American storyteller, Sheila Arnold talks about her interpretation of Zora Neale Hurston's "Sweat" being presented by Storytelling Toronto Feb 18 at Arts and Letters in Toronto.

My chat with playwrights, Amy Lee Lavoie and Omari Newton about their satirical, time-shifting play, "Redbone Coonhound" and it's themes of race, gender, politics and perspective.

Description: "Out for a walk in their West End neighbourhood, Mike and Marissa—an interracial couple—meet a dog with an unfortunate breed name: Redbone Coonhound." Source: @tarragontheatreto

Runs Feb 7 -15, 2023

Plus: Audiobook samples of work by Black Canadian Authors available through Toronto Public Library using the Libby App.

Music: @naxxbitota @originalndidia and Blaxäm

My chats with Ashley "Colours" Perez ("The Magic of Assembly") and writer/actor, @berylbain ("The Flight").

"The Magic of Assembly" is a new collaborative production with street dance (waacking) choreographer Perez, electronic music duo LAL, @torontodancetheatre Artistic Director, Andrew Tay and TDT's ensemble. On stage @winchesterstreettheatre February 2 – 4 & 9 – 11, 2023.

"The Flight" is a bio drama about Bessie Coleman written and performed by Beryl Bain. "Brave Bessie" was the first African-American and Native-American to hold an international aviator's license. On stage @factorytheatre February 10-18, 2023.

Music by: @amaikudaetlesbois @lalforest @sing.with.mi @naxxbitota

My chat with Geneviève Langlois about her role in the comedic play, FLUSH, running Feb 1-5 at Théâtre Français de Toronto (French W/Eng surtitles) + CIUT's Nadine McNulty, Karibuni host and Artistic Director of Batuki Music Society, and I discuss the music of Congolese-Canadian musician, Naxx Bitota and her Feb 4th concert at Alliance Française.

Music tracks by Naxx Bitota: Kurti, Femmes, Moseko

My chat with Sandra Laronde, Executive and Artistic director of Red Sky Performance about founding the indigenous dance company and about its latest creation, "Miigus: Underwater Panther" based on an Anishinaabe prophecy. Then I'm joined by playwright/actor, Amanda Lin to talk about her interactive identity theatre piece, "Between a Wok and a Hot Pot," in which audiences may choose to participate in hot pot making or simply observe Amanda's character Mandy explore what it means to be Asian.

Music: Red Sky Performance (Ziibi); Kellylee Evans (Questioning my Path); Melanie Durrant (Sky)