Ronnie Burkett gives Shakespeare the puppet treatment

Following his 2024 breakout hit, Big Dawgs, Hanumankind has become a global rapper. Born in Kerala, India and growing up all over the world, Hanumankind quickly drew interest at local open mics in India for his Houston rap influences and his ability to freestyle on a whim. In 2023, he signed with Def Jam India and by the next year, he was playing Coachella and working with artists like A$AP Rocky. He stopped by the Q studio to talk to Garvia Bailey about his first North American tour, his album Monsoon Season and how he continues to put South Indian hip-hop on the map with his own unique sound and aesthetic.

Canadian television producer Jeff Norton created Netflix’s latest global hit: Finding Her Edge. It follows three sisters facing loss, heartbreak and the immense pressure of their family’s figure skating legacy. Olympic-winning ice dancers Piper Gilles, Paul Poirier and Elvis Stojko make cameos. Jeff joins Garvia Bailey in the Q studio to talk about how he adapted the series from a young adult book and created such a popular teen drama. 

Canadian writer and director Ian Tuason’s debut feature film is Undertone. The horror movie follows a podcaster who gets sent a series of disturbing audio files that invite paranormal activity into her own life. Ian Tuason joins Q guest host Garvia Bailey to talk about the real life events that inspired the film, shooting the film on a microbudget in his family home and the multi-studio bidding war the film sparked before landing at A24.

You might recognize Lia Pappas-Kemps from her recurring role on the CBC TV show Anne with an E, but she always knew she was meant to be a musician. Lia went from hanging out in music venues in Toronto when she was only eight-years-old, watching her older sister’s rock band, to writing her own songs and now releasing her debut record. She dropped by the Q studio to talk to Garvia Bailey about the new album, Winged, and how she turns her self-doubt into soaring melodies. 

Two-time JUNO-award winning jazz vocalist Dominique Fils-Aimé is back with a new album, My World Is The Sun. It’s inspired by something her mother taught her: you don’t find peace, you build it. In between stops on her cross-Canada tour, Dominique stops by the Q studio to chat with Garvia Bailey about making the new album, how she fell in love with jazz and why creative freedom can lead to healing.

Canadian electronic music pioneer Nash the Slash toured with the likes of Iggy Pop and Gary Numan. But he didn’t make the same splash at home. Nash the Slash was the stage name of Toronto musician Jeff Plewman, who quietly died in 2014. But his artistry is coming back into the light with a new documentary, Nash the Slash Rises Again! The doc’s director Tim Kowalski joins Garvia Bailey in the Q studio to talk about how Nash the Slash broke out of Toronto’s alternative scene in the ’70s to tour internationally, open for The Police and other big acts. 

Ronnie Burkett, the Governor General Award-winning puppeteer, is back with a new show Little Willy. He joins Garvia Bailey to talk about why he wanted to do a provocative, comedic take on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Ronnie reflects on 40 years of doing puppet shows for adults with his Theatre of Marionettes and why audiences make the puppets “real.”

Kate Hudson was raised by Hollywood royalty: Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell. When she was growing up, they told her that if she wanted to be an actor it had to be because of something deep inside her — not just for fame and fortune. In 2024, Kate sat down with Tom Power for a conversation about her Hollywood upbringing, as well as her role in Max Minghella’s Shell, her Oscar-nominated role in Almost Famous and why she started making music.

Game of Thrones is known for its complex story arcs, violent political conflicts and its big ensemble cast. But a new prequel, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, is leaning into humour and putting a focus on the charming duo at the centre of the story. Canadian screenwriter Ira Parker created the show with author George R. R. Martin. He joins guest host Garvia Bailey to talk about how he created the new series and how he went from shooting films in his dad’s warehouse in St. Catharines, Ontario to making an emotional TV series in Hollywood. 

For nearly fifty years, Canadian author Robert Munsch has been publishing books that have a firm place in the hearts and bedtime routines of families all over the world. Now, a stage play at the Young People’s Theatre (YPT) in Toronto brings some of that Munsch magic to stage. Q guest host Garvia Bailey speaks with the play’s co-directors Stephen Colella and Karen Gilodo about adapting five iconic and classic Munsch stories for the stage, and why those books are so enduring and beloved.