How community theatre saved Jesse Eisenberg’s life

Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network, A Real Pain) drew on his own roots in community theatre to write and direct his latest movie, The Debut. Starring Julianne Moore as a shy housewife-turned-actor and Paul Giamatti as a director pushing her to her limits, the film is inspired by the many unproduced musicals Jesse has penned over the years. He joins Tom Power in the Q studio to discuss The Debut, the relationship between art and anxiety, why some people hate musicals, and the role truth plays in entertainment. 

Choosing to pursue a single passion can feel like a calling — until the reality of the grind hits. Albertan singer-songwriter Mariel Buckley explores the highs and lows of going after your dreams on her Juno-winning album, Strange Trip Ahead. She joins Tom Power in the Q studio to discuss a song off the album, how she went to culinary school before becoming a musician, and how k.d. lang took a chance on her when she was just starting out.

Swedish actor Noomi Rapace has built a career playing deeply complex characters, starting with her breakout role as Lisbeth Salander in 2009’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. In her new film, In Alaska, she plays an FBI agent searching for a suicidal Inuk teen who accidentally pierces an oil pipeline with a bullet. Noomi joins Tom Power to talk about the film, her acting career, and how movies became her escape, her oxygen and her link to the world.

Dillan King, also known as DillanPonders, is a Canadian rapper from Toronto. After surviving addiction and homelessness nearly a decade ago, he found a path to recovery and became an avid mental health advocate. Since then, he’s set a Guinness World Record by releasing an original single every week for 138 consecutive weeks, ran 100 marathons in 100 days for men’s mental health, and ran the length of Toronto’s Yonge Street (more than a double marathon) to raise funds for homelessness. Dillan sits down with guest host Garvia Bailey to share his incredible story and how music helped him turn his life around.

Neil Peart is one of the most celebrated and influential drummers of all time. In the new documentary Neil Peart: No One’s Disciple, his life and legacy are honoured by his Rush bandmates, Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson. Along with Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, they join Tom Power in the Q studio to discuss the film and share stories about their late friend, bandmate and musical legend.

As a solo artist in the 2010s, Kalle Mattson either won or was nominated for every major music prize in Canada. During the pandemic, he formed the band summersets with his childhood friend Andrew Sowka to explore Everly Brothers harmonies and to alleviate the weight of being a solo artist. Now, summersets has released a new album, Pine Trees in a Perfect Row, written “to be a (complicated) love letter to Northern Ontario and small town Canadian identity.” Kalle joins Q guest host Garvia Bailey to talk about the album and to set up a new song called Canada.

Earlier this week, the hit horror-comedy series Widow's Bay made Emmys history with a record-breaking 14 wins, including best series. Katie Dippold, the show’s creator and showrunner, comes from a comedy background, having written the Ghostbusters remake and The Heat, as well as for Parks and Recreation. A few months ago, she joined Tom Power to talk about Widow's Bay, how she’s always been a fan of horror and how her comedy roots helped her write a scary show. 

Canadian singer-songwriter Ruth B first found fame writing songs in her childhood bedroom in Edmonton. Since breaking onto the charts in 2013, she’s gone on to amass nearly 10 billion streams. Now, five years after her last project, she’s returned with a new album, Peace To Make. Largely written in the aftermath of a breakup, the album finds Ruth looking back at her past while discovering new parts of herself in the process. She joins Tom Power to talk about Peace To Make, the vulnerability behind the record, and why she considers it her most honest work yet.

When Emmy, Tony and Golden Globe winner Sarah Paulson (American Horror Story) was offered the lead role in the new family drama Closing Night, she was terrified. Directed by her American Horror Story co-star Cody Fern, the film follows an internationally renowned movie star who’s navigating a life-changing event while also trying to reconnect with her estranged family on the opening night of her Broadway play. Sarah sits down with Tom Power to talk about the film, why acting is her way to the truth, why winning the Emmy was one of the loneliest nights of her life, and her love of Oscar acceptance speeches.

For more than a decade, the British band Jungle have been making music that gets people moving. What started with childhood friends Josh Lloyd-Watson and Tom McFarland has grown into a band with a global audience, a Brit Award and a new third member, Lydia Kitto. With Jungle's new record Sunshine out now, Josh, Tom and Lydia join Q guest host Talia Schlanger to talk about friendship, how the band has grown and why they’ve always preferred to let the music do the talking.