The More the Merrier with donna g

Guests: Carolyn Fe and Tanisha Taitt (Aye Caesar) and Sámi screenwriter, director and actor, Suvi West (MÁTTÁRÁHKKÁ) I chat with two-time Dora Award nominee, Betty Mitchell Award nominee, Toronto Theatre Critics’ Award recipient, and 'Aye Caesar' playwright Carolyn Fe, as well as Dora Award nominee and Gina Wilkinson Prize recipient Tanisha Taitt, the play’s director, about Aye Caesar'...

Writer/directors Ian Bawa (Strong Son) and Ang Geck Geck Priscilla (Ah Girl) shares personal information about their debut feature films, screening at The Toronto International Film Festival #TIFF26 www.tiff.net

Chatting TIFF26 with Heidy M, arts and culture writer and founder of https://hyemusings.ca/ and cinephiles Gordon Gingras and Anne Gallagher.  Plus archival interview from TIFF 2013 with director and screenwriter, Lisa Langdeth about her film 'Hotell' starring Alicia Vikander.  Music: 'Soul Rebel' by AMMOYE 

Finnish directors Dome Karukoski and Iiris Härmä respectively talk about their films, " The Grump" and " Leaving Africa " in these archival interviews from the Toronto International Film Festival 2014 and Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival 2015.  Music by Jonathan Nvita , a Cogolese-born Toronto-based singer.

Sharon Marley, Jamaican, mother, singer and cultural advocate joins me to talk about her album FIREBIRD. The album's sound is a personal reflection of Sharon and may surprise fans of her parents, Rita and Bob Marley.

Nadine McNulty , Artistic Director of Batuki Music Society and host and producer of CIUT's ' Karibuni ' (Sundays from 3-5 pm) joins me to talk about Habari Africa Festival at Harbourfront Centre, 235 Queen's Quay East in Toronto. The FREE festival is a celebration of diverse African arts and culture running August 7-9th. Then you will hear two Anansi stories from Dr Rita Cox , stor...

Guest: jazz singer, Alex Bird on jazz legend Oliver Jones, musician, composer, arranger, educator (September 11, 1934 – July 22, 2026).

Guests: No Strings Theatre + Lina Rodriquez Soprano Denise Williams, founding and artistic director of No Strings Theatre, and her team join me to talk about the company’s work supporting teens and emerging artists, along with a bevy of upcoming events and performances in their summer season. Then, an archival TIFF 2014 interview with screenwriter and filmmaker Lina Rodriguez, talking about her fi...

Guests : Larry Tayler + SATE I chat with Larry Tayler about being a writer-in-residence at the historic Macaulay House Museum in Prince Edward County, his process as a writer of gay romance, and the people he encounters. SATE (formerly Saida Baba Talibah) joins me to talk about 'The Listening: Music, Myth, Memory' , running July 15–18 at The Vault Creation Lab in Toronto. Directed by Djane...

I'm joined by 9 shows each have 5 minutes to share why you should go and see their shows at Toronto Fringe Festival . Will they convince you? Have a listen to: Dads Belly Button He-r'tz Many Happy Returns Little Eden Mysteries and Lies Gerry's Imaginarium (Fringe KidsFest) Above the Hospital You, Always, Never Link to shows: https://fringetoronto.com/fringe/shows Full details: https://...

Jesse Wente joins me to talk about Canada-US relations in Case Joynt's new short form docuseries, How to Buy a Country . The doc will screen June 30, 2026 at the Paradise Theatre (1006 Bloor Street W, Toronto), with Jesse, the filmmakers and other stakeholders in attendance for a Question and Answer period following the film. The series then streams on YouTube, starting July 1, 2026. " Und...

Resilience and Love: The Secret Reading Club of Kabul and Birds of War , two documentaries that I saw at Hot Docs 2026. The first takes us into the secret reading clubs that Afghan women have formed behind their enclosed doors, reading The Diary of Anne Frank and finding similarities to their own lives under the Taliban. Guests: Directors, Shakiba Abdil and Elina Hirvonen with Impact Producer Sari...

June is Pride Month and Indigenous History Month. Here is a selection of audiobooks in recognition of both celebrations. The samples end abruptly as they do when you listen to them using the Libby app. You can borrow these books with your college/university student card or your local library card. Have fun and let me know if you added any of these books to your TBR or To Be Listened To list.

Guests: Johannes (Director), Wilhelmina (Writer) and Jonathan (Editor) Vang join me to talk about collaborating on their film Borderline , screening June 4 at ImagineNative Film + Media Arts Festival. Shifting borders and power are at the heart of this comedic short that has its characters moving to and fro in Norway, Finland, and Sweden. imagineNATIVE runs June 2-7, 2026 (Toronto) and June 8-14,...

What are the lasting impacts of British colonization on Jamaican culture, sexuality, and spirituality? Dr d'bi.young anitafrika (PHD in Theatre and Performance) joins me to discuss how she balances drama and comedy in her one-woman, multi- character, immersive performance in ' shx mami wata & the pxssywitch hunt '. Then a collection of short audio pieces (' Chocolate Orange Bis...

Carly Beath , the brand new Executive Director of Inside Out 2SLGBTQ+ Film Festival and I chat about her new role with the festival and shares details about some of the films that caught my eye this year.  Plus a creepy old time radio show about what happens when ' The Enormous Radio ' begins to take on a life of its own. archive.org Music : 'gendah bendah' by dr. d'bi.young an...

The first half of the show, I chat with Amanda Cordner (CBC's 'Sort Of') about being a cast member of ' Calling on Creation ' by Christina Anderson. We also talk about what creation means to her as well her character, Tami. CALLING ON CREATION opens Thursday, April 30 and runs until May 17th at Soulpepper Theatre (50 Tank House Lane) in Toronto's distillery district. For mo...

Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival 2026 coverage continues with guests: director, Kenya-Jade Pinto ( The Sandbox ) and filmmakers ( Let the Mountains Live ) multi-award winning director, Hävard Bustnes and Johannes Vang , and Sissel Holtan , a reindeer herder. A lawyer, photographer and first-time director, Kenya-Jade and I discuss the million dollar tech industry of migrant and...

Director Rico King (Nekai Walks) and subject Nekai Foster and I chat about Nekai's extraordinary mental and physical journey after the teen's near-fatal shooting in the Jane and Finch area, an underserved, predominantly Black community where lack of services result in a cycle of retaliatory shootings. Screening at Hot Docs 2026 April 24 and 25 at Red Roger's Hot Docs Cinema (Bloor and...

Calling all talented folks and those who think they're talented! Regular guest, Jade Elektra (government name, Alphonso King Jr, aka DJ Relentless) shares how you could win $100 at Top Star Live (starting April 8) with a little help from your friends, and end up with $1000 and a chance to perform on the 2026 Pride Stage! Jade also shares info on Pink Cinema the monthly 2SLGBTQ+ (and allies) mo...

So, what was your highlight at the 98th Annual Academy Awards? Arts and Culture writer Heidy M ( hyemusings.ca ), and cinephiles Gordon Gingras, Anne Gallagher, and Marc S. agree and disagree on the winners/losers, the production (what went right, what went wrong?) and what we would like to see in Oscar's future.

Focus on T.O. Short Film Festival (March 18-21) with Steve Veale , festival director and filmmakers Catherine Dulude (55 Years Apart) and Jimena Ayala (Homo Plastikus). Tickets: https://paradiseonbloor.com Music : Tanika Charles 'Parkdale', Ndidi O 'Call Me Queen's, Lynn Olagundoye 'Beautiful', Beautiful Nubia 'Mama Bendel'

Alexandra McDonald and I discuss how she went from taking to the ice when she was a five-year in PEI to landing on the stages of the Toronto International Film Festival (#TIFF50) in Academy Award Nominee, Hubert Davis' YOUNGBLOOD, a reimagining of the 1986 hockey drama. Music: 'In my soul' by Four the Moment, 'Wade in the Water' by Tikki Mercury-Clarke and 'Move Away' b...

Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) celebrates Black History Month 2026 by recognizing Wendy Jones of Pan Fantasy Steel Orchestra as Canada's Ambassador to Steel Pan Culture. In memoriam: Sistah Lois shares the legacy of Sheila 'Lady Pearl' Robinson , the first woman to win the Canadian Calypso Monarch title. Music : Move Away by Lady Pearl

What does it mean to be "The Black Widow of Burlesque"? I find out the layered implications of this moniker from the "widow" herself, Ravyn Wngz. Ravyn is a Tanzanian, Bermudian, Mohawk, 2Spirit, Queer and Transcendent empowerment storyteller. She is an abolitionist and co-founder of ILL NANA/DiverseCity Dance Company, a queer and trans multiracial dance company, a co-founder of Bl...