Q: The Podcast From Cbc Radio

The Oscar-winning Canadian animator and director Domee Shi (Bao, Turning Red) is back with a new Disney-Pixar movie, “Elio.” It’s about an 11-year-old who’s obsessed with getting abducted by aliens. Domee joins guest host Talia Schlanger to share how her own childhood inspired aspects of the film, why the theme of alien abduction is a great way to explore loneliness, and why it’s nearly impossible for her to write a one-dimensional mother figure. If you enjoy this conversation, make sure to check out Tom Power’s interview with Domee about her last film, “Turning Red.”

There's a reason why the British theatre maker Tim Crouch doesn't want his actors to hear this podcast — it’s because they’re not supposed to know anything about their role until an hour before the show. This year, Tim’s award-winning play “An Oak Tree” turns 20. It’s one of the strangest and most influential theatre experiments in history, and it’s currently being staged at the Luminato Festival in Toronto. Each performance is completely unique, shaped by the presence of a different guest actor, including past celebrity guests like Frances McDormand, Mike Myers and Alan Cumming. Tim sits down with guest host Gill Deacon to talk about the risk in live performance, the power of not-knowing, and why this show still resonates 20 years on.

Joshua Jackson rose to fame more than 20 years ago as a teen heartthrob on the show “Dawson’s Creek.” But his latest role relies solely on the power of his voice. The Vancouver-born actor joins guest host Gill Deacon to talk about narrating the suspenseful Canadian audio series “Oracle 3: Murder at the Grandview,” embracing his Canadian roots, and how he made the tricky transition from child star to adult actor.

Imagine taking your favourite family memories and spinning them into a full-length movie. That’s exactly what the Toronto filmmaker Seth Scriver has done with the animated documentary “Endless Cookie,” which he created over nine years with his half-brother Peter. Though Seth and Peter lead radically different lives (they’re separated by age, culture and geography), they say making a movie brought them closer together. They join guest host Talia Schlanger to tell us how they bonded through filmmaking.

Owen Wilson has played a misfit, a cowboy, a robber, a male model and now he can add pro golfer to that list. In the new sports comedy series “Stick,” Owen plays Pryce Cahill, an ex-pro golfer with a dark past who ends up coaching a troubled teen prodigy. Owen joins guest host Gill Deacon to talk about the show, how his carefree nature seeps into his work, and what he learned from some of his earliest mentors and role models, including his dad, his football coaches and legendary film producer James L. Brooks.

The Calgary-born comedian Malik Elassal has already been getting noticed on the stand-up circuit, but with a starring role on the new FX and Disney+ series “Adults,” a lot more people are going to start hearing about him. Malik sits down with Tom Power in our studio to talk about the show, his journey in stand-up, and why he says you can talk about anything in comedy — as long as the joke is good.

In 1993, Counting Crows’ debut album, "August and Everything After,” went multi-platinum, selling more than seven million copies in the U.S. alone. Lead singer Adam Duritz joins Tom Power for a wide-ranging conversation about “Mr. Jones” (the song that started it all), how there’s no going back after becoming famous, and what it was like playing his cover of “Big Yellow Taxi” to Joni Mitchell herself. Plus, he shares what was on his mind when he created Counting Crows’ latest record, “Butter Miracle, The Complete Sweets!” 

Canadian icon Graham Greene (Dances With Wolves, The Green Mile, Wind River) is one of the most recognizable Indigenous actors in North America. Recently, he was honoured with a Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award from the Governor General's Awards, which recognizes his prolific career on stage and screen. In this career-spanning interview, Graham joins Tom Power to talk about the incredible work ethic he developed during his early days as a roadie, how he learned Lakota for “Dances With Wolves,” his Oscar nomination and his advice to up-and-coming actors.

Reza Dahya helped shape the sound of Toronto hip-hop as the host of “OTA Live” on the iconic Canadian radio station FLOW 93.5. Now, he’s released his debut film, “Boxcutter,” which is a love letter to Toronto and all the young artists who are trying to find their place. Reza joins guest host Gill Deacon to talk about the movie and how it pays tribute to the city, its music culture and its aspiring artists.

Acclaimed Canadian theatre maker Robert Lepage is back at the Stratford Festival with a new take on Shakespeare's “Macbeth.” This new production tells the same classic story of greed, betrayal and murder, but it’s set during the brutal Quebec biker wars of the ‘90s. Robert joins Tom Power to talk about putting a new spin on this Shakespearean tragedy, his unique approach to theatre and his incredible decades-long career. If you’re looking for more conversations about Canadian theatre, check out Tom’s chat with esteemed stage actor Tom Rooney on what it takes to play a dog.

Country artist Robert Adam is Calgary's self-proclaimed “Dream Angel Cowboy.” But they say celebrating queer identity isn’t always easy in their home province of Alberta or in Nashville, where they made their upcoming full-length album, “Governed by the Seasons.” Robert joins guest host Gill Deacon to talk about finding their musical community, making country music on their own terms and why their album tour won't include any stops in the U.S. Plus, they set up their bold and totally irresistible new single, “Denim on Denim.” If you like this chat, check out Tom Power’s conversation with Canadian singer-songwriter Bells Larsen on why he cancelled his U.S. tour.

Alessia Cara has a unique talent for capturing the inner life of someone growing up in the digital age as they deal with love, acceptance and rejection. On the Grammy-winning Canadian singer-songwriter’s fourth and latest album, “Love & Hyperbole,” she opens up about her feelings of being an introvert in an extrovert’s industry. Earlier this year, Alessia sat down with Tom Power to talk about the record and how it reflects her growth as an artist.

Robi Botos is a Juno-winning Canadian jazz pianist who was hugely influenced by the late Oscar Peterson — one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time. He opened for Oscar in Switzerland and he even gave Oscar’s daughter piano lessons. In celebration of the Canadian jazz legend’s centenary (he would have turned 100 on Aug. 15), Robi sits down with Tom Power to talk about Oscar’s musical legacy and what made his piano playing so exceptional. Plus, Robi plays a piece he wrote for his friend and hero.

Teddy Swims first won over the internet with his viral YouTube covers of hits like “You're Still The One” by Shania Twain and “I Can’t Make You Love Me” by Bonnie Raitt. But his success performing covers left him questioning whether he’d ever be capable of writing original songs that were just as good. Now, Teddy is one of the biggest artists in the world and he’s just released his debut album, “I've Tried Everything but Therapy.” Teddy sits down with Tom Power for a career-spanning conversation about how he finally found success when he stopped trying so hard to be relatable.

Alicia Moffet grew up being told she was going to be the next big thing. She was 12 when her covers started going viral on YouTube, 14 when she won the Canadian singing competition show “The Next Star,” and 16 when she placed second on another singing competition show, “La Voix.” But during that time, Alicia learned that if you’re not prepared for success, it can disappear just as quickly as it came. Now, she’s taking control of her career with her new album, “No, I'm Not Crying.” Alicia joins Tom Power to tell us about her new sound, and what she learned from her experience as a kid who got a lot of exposure at a young age. If you like this conversation, check out Tom’s chat with singer-songwriter Charlotte Cardin.

<p>Hannah Moscovitch is a Governor General’s Award-winning Canadian playwright whose work often takes a sharp and uncompromising look at the internal lives of women. Her play “Red Like Fruit,” tells the story of Lauren, a journalist covering a high profile domestic violence case who starts to reexamine her own past experiences with men. Hannah tells Tom Power why she describes her work as “taking a knife” to herself, and why she viewed this play as an opportunity to uncensor parts of her own life. </p>

<p>Bestselling romance writer Uzma Jalaluddin is switching gears. Her new novel, “Detective Aunty,” is a murder mystery, set in a fictional neighbourhood in Scarborough, Ont. Uzma joins Tom Power to talk about the overlap between writing a romance and a “cozy” murder mystery, how writing about love is similar to writing about murder, and why she always wanted to write a mystery.</p>

<p>Cynthia Erivo discusses her vulnerable new record “I Forgive You”, and all the big musical theatre roles that built her career. From her childhood obsession with Brandy to her performance as Elphaba in the movie musical Wicked, Erivo talks to Tom Power about her life as a singer, and all the surprises she encountered along the way.</p>

<p>Hailing from Saskatoon, Katie Tupper didn’t have a big queer community to help her find herself. Now, she’s embracing her bisexuality, and singing soulful songs about the kinds of love she always wanted. Katie Tupper sits down to talk to Tom Power about bi erasure, and how fans are responding to her music.</p>

<p>The Phoenician Scheme is Wes Anderson’s latest feature film. And if you are a fan of deadpan screw ball humour, meticulously shot and edited behind a colour pallet of muted earth tones, you will not be disappointed. But for his thirteenth feature film, Wes is leaning a little more into action and even violence to tell his new father daughter comedy. He joins Tom Power to talk about the evolution of his singular way of telling family stories.&nbsp;</p>