The More The Merrier

tmtm 28 march 2026 Jade Elektra on how to make $1000 and perform on the Pride Stage

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 the AIDS Memorial project Echo, Pink Cinema the monthly 2SLGBTQ+ (and allies) movie club and what it was like for a little Black gay boy doing drag in Tampa, Florida (oh, lord she was a mess!) to the Big Apple and Toronto, Canada.

tmtm 22 march 2026 Oscar Chat. Did your winner take home a statue?

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.

tmtm 8 March 2026 Focus on TO Short Film Festival with Steve Veale, Catherine Dulude and Jimena Ayala

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'

tmtm 1 march 2026 Guest: Alexandra McDonald (YOUNGBLOOD)

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' by Sheila 'Lady PEARL'S Brereton Robinson
Spoken Word: Imani aka Anne-Marie Woods "Who Am I, Shahaddah Jack " (HER)STORY poem, HannahFlorestthepoet "Your black friend told me to tell you this," Jonisha Lewinson "So I Wait" which I found on the YouTube channel for the United Church of Canada

tmtm 22 Feb 2026 - Wendy Jones (Pan Fantasy) + Sistah Lois Remembers Lady Pearl

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

tmtm 15 Feb 2026 Guest: Ravyn Wngz "The Black Widow of Burlesque"

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 Black Lives Matter Canada, a Canadian Best-Selling Author, and one of the 2021's Top 25 Women of Influence in Canada. She's sparkling and serious and sexy.Can you tell I'm a fan :)

tmtm 8 Feb 2026 Tanisha Taitt and Abigail Whitney

I'm reunited with two women on the Canadian theatre scene, Tanisha Taitt and Abigail Whitney. Among her many accolades, Tanisha is the Artistic Director of Cahoots Theatre and the founder Stakes and Embers. We chat about what if feels like to have the last performance of A & E's 'A Question of Character' cancelled because of a snowstorm and Cahoots' upcoming production of 'Searching for Aimai' by Coleen Shirin MacPherson. Abigail and I talk about her role as Associate Director on the Tony Award-winning play Eureka Day directed by Mitchell Cushman for Coalmine Theatre.
 

tmtm 1 Feb 26 Guests: Sophia Walker and Fabienne Colas

As we celebrate the 30th anniversary of Black History Month, I am happy to share with you my conversation with actress Sophia Walker (appearing in Coalmine Theatre's production of the Tony Award-Winning comedy, 'Eureka Day') and Fabienne Colas (Member of the Order of Canada), who talks about the 14th annual Toronto Black Film Festival and the importance of telling our own stories.

tmtm 18 Jan 2026 Playwright Steven Elliott Jackson

A chat with playwright Steven Elliott Jackson about 'A Question of Character' (a Stakes and Embers/Minmar Gaslight production) running until January 25, 2026
Venue: Aki Studio Theatre -Native Earth Performing Arts 585 Dundas St E, Toronto
Inside the Daniels Spectrum Building
Info/Tickets: https://nativeearth.ca/shows/all-shows/a-question-of-character
 

tmtm 28 Dec 25

Today's episode reflects what 'The More the Merrier' is all about: film, theatre, and the arts at large. I've chosen and edited three interviews to share with you. First up is director Nik Sexton and actor Sean Dalton from the film *Skeet*. Then you'll hear from actor David Lopez about what it's like to be a swing in the play *A Strange Loop*. I finish off the show with freelance illustrator Deena Pagliarello talking about how she started her career and what she continues to learn about her chosen field.