PlayME

Everyone has a party story. Host and creator of Personally: Discount Dave (and the Fix) Rebecca Auerbach’s involved in a run-in with rock icon David Lee Roth (you know, from Van Halen). At least, that's who he said he was. It’s Vancouver. 2005. Becca, a young actor who loves hard and parties harder gets her first big break at a Shakespeare Festival. She’s young, she’s having fun, party girls are FUNNNNN… Rehydrate, recuperate, recalibrate, repeat. But when her best friend goes on a date with the aging rocker, Becca is on a mission. To get a piece of the action. And maybe it's because she loves rock and roll, or maybe it's because she’s trying to fill a hole, but she holds onto that night. And it ultimately leads to her own reckoning. A harrowing and hilarious blend of memoir and auto-fiction, Discount Dave (and the Fix) is the true-ish story of a fake rockstar, a real trial and what it means to stop running, face yourself and fight to heal. Episode one of this series, "I Runneth with the Devil" is an Official Selection of the 2026 Tribeca Audio Festival. More episodes of Discount Dave (and the Fix) are available wherever you get your podcasts, and here: https://link.mgln.ai/DDxPM

Governor General's Award-winning playwright Nicolas Billon joins Laura Mullin to talk about his play The Neighbours and why the thriller form is the best tool he has for asking the questions that haunt him. Billon traces his love of suspense back to Hitchcock and explains why dread is one of the most honest ways to get an audience leaning in. He breaks down his choice to use direct address, what it does to an audience when a character looks right at them, and how becoming a father has changed him as a writer.

Denise and Simon have lived on Stanley Court for thirty-one years. They know their neighbours, they wave hello, and they throw a barbecue every May. But seven months ago, their next-door neighbour was exposed as the man who kidnapped ten-year-old Kayla Brown and kept her locked in a cage in his basement for twelve years. Now, as the couple pieces together the aftermath, the uncomfortable questions are just beginning. Featuring: Ordena Stephens-Thompson, Tony Nappo and Richard Tse. And if you are looking for more thrillers by Nicolas Billon, check out Butcher available on PlayME in our archives.

When Denise and Simon are called to the police station, what they find there will connect their family to Kayla's story in ways they never could have imagined and force them to reckon with a question with no comfortable answer: how much did they really know? Featuring: Ordena Stephens-Thompson, Tony Nappo and Richard Tse.

In this special PlayME episode, host Chris Tolley sits down with Brian Quirt of Night Swimming as the company celebrates its 30th anniversary. Brian shares insights into the long, collaborative process of developing new plays, Night Swimming’s philosophy of “faith over hope,” and the re-release of Boys With Cars by Anita Majumdar—exploring how the work resonates with audiences today.

Playwright and actor Pamela Mala Sinha joins Chris Tolley to talk about NEW, her play about a generation of South Asian immigrants who came of age in 1970s Winnipeg. Sinha shares how a box of old photographs and her mother's stories sparked the idea, and why she felt compelled to tell the story of a generation that built this country but has been largely skipped over in our cultural narrative. She talks about casting her own mother as cultural consultant, what it means to take notes from a parent, and the unexpected rehearsal room moment that unlocked the emotional truth of a key scene. She also reflects on writing trauma without centering it, the role of comedy in her work, and what she wishes she had known at the start of her writing life.

It's 1970 in Winnipeg, and a young Bengali bride has just arrived in Canada to marry a man she's never met. But the husband waiting for her is hiding a secret, and the tight-knit immigrant community she's stepping into is holding more than a few of its own. Three couples. A doctor with a double life. A marriage frozen by grief. Two students being pulled apart by the new world around them. And one unexpected arrival who refuses to behave the way anyone needs her to. Theatre critic Glenn Sumi calls New by Pamela Mala Sinha "specific in its details but universal in its themes" and one of the best new Canadian plays in years. And if you're looking for more great plays to listen to, we highly recommend our PlayME recording of Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekhov, adapted by Liisa Reppo-Martell, featuring some truly incredible performances, including actor Ali Kazmi, who plays Qasim in this production of New. NEW features: Ali Kazmi, Lisa Ryder, Zorana Sadiq, Ellora Patnaik, Shelly Antony, Fuad Ahmed and Pamela Mala Sinha.

Two months after her arrival, Nuzha is beginning to understand that something is deeply wrong in her marriage. Qasim comes home late every night, and has never once reached for her. She arrived ready to build a life and instead finds herself waiting in a cold apartment in a city she doesn't know yet, wondering if she's about to be sent home. As she confides in the women around her, the close-knit community that welcomed her starts to reveal its own cracks. And Abby is still in the picture. NEW features: Ali Kazmi, Lisa Ryder, Zorana Sadiq, Ellora Patnaik, Shelly Antony, Fuad Ahmed and Pamela Mala Sinha.

Laura Mullin talks to actor Tom Barnett about Michael Healey’s celebrated Canadian play The Drawer Boy. Barnett was part of the original 1999 Theatre Passe Muraille production, where he played the young actor Miles in a play inspired by the creation of the groundbreaking documentary theatre project The Farm Show. In this conversation, Barnett reflects on discovering the play as a young actor before anyone knew it would become a classic, touring it across Canada, and returning decades later to play Angus, the farmer at the emotional centre of the story. He shares what it was like to experience the play from two very different characters and why The Drawer Boy continues to move audiences around the world.

Morgan begins to share the story of the wartime accident that changed everything for him and Angus. But as the past comes into focus, the careful world the two farmers have built together starts to crack, forcing all three men to confront the consequences of turning memory into story. Cast: Tom Barnett, Patrick McManus, Stephen Jackman-Torkoff The Drawer Boy by Michael Healey

One of the most produced Canadian plays of the past three decades, The Drawer Boy is inspired by the creation of The Farm Show, the legendary production that sent a group of actors to rural Ontario to learn directly from farming communities. On a quiet farm, lifelong friends Morgan and Angus live inside a carefully structured routine shaped by a wartime injury that altered Angus’s memory. When Miles, a young actor from Toronto, arrives to research rural life for a theatre project, his presence disrupts the balance the two men have built over the years. What follows is a funny and revealing collision between urban theatre-making and farm life, as Miles observes the farmers and begins collecting stories for the stage. Cast: Tom Barnett, Patrick McManus, Stephen Jackman-Torkoff The Drawer Boy by Michael Healy If you’re interested in hearing more plays about Canadian rural life, check out Between Breaths by Robert Chafe, available on our feed .

Chris Tolley talks to playwright and performer Akosua Amo-Adem about her hit play Table for Two, a funny, candid, and deeply relatable look at modern dating. Set in Toronto and centred on Abby, a hopeful romantic navigating apps, expectations, and one bad date after another, the play explores the search for connection in a world that can feel both hyper-connected and isolating. Akosua shares how the play grew out of real observations and research into dating-app culture, why humour is essential to telling this story, and what audiences respond to most when they see Abby onstage. Together, they talk about vulnerability, rejection, desire, and the pressure to find love on a timeline that doesn’t always match real life. Table for Two by Akosua Amo-Adem.

Still carrying the sting of a major breakup, Abby is trying to reset and move forward, but it feels like her best friend’s love life is racing ahead while she remains stuck in the same exhausting dating cycle. With pressure building from family, friends, and her own expectations, Abby puts her hope in a promising new match and a long-awaited dinner at Lucia’s, a night that just might shift everything. Cast: Bola Aiyeola, Ryan Allen, Meghan Swaby and Akosua Amo-Adem Table for Two by Akosua Amo-Adem. If you’re interested in hearing more plays by Black female playwrights, check out the hit show Da Kink in My Hair by Trey Anthony, available on our feed .

“Ghanaian parents don’t talk about sex, and when they do, it’s not very helpful.” Abena Ohemaa Frimpong is thirty-five, accomplished, and dating in Toronto. A Ghanaian Canadian woman with an impressive resume and a dating history that has taught her to manage expectations, Abby still shows up hoping this time might be different. On the night she is meant to meet JD45, a man she has grown cautiously excited about, Abby arrives early and waits. As the table stays empty, the evening slips into memories of first love, missed timing, and the quiet pressure of a best friend’s engagement and a mother who wants answers. Faith, family, and romantic history all press in as the minutes stretch. Abby sits with her phone in hand, the chair across from her untouched, and the possibility of connection hanging by a thread. Cast: Bola Aiyeola, Ryan Allen, Meghan Swaby and Akosua Amo-Adem Table for Two by Akosua Amo-Adem If you’re interested in hearing more plays by Black female playwrights, check out the hit show Da Kink in My Hair by Trey Anthony, available on our feed .

Playwright Ins Choi joins Laura Mullin to talk about Kim’s Convenience, the play that eventually became the hit television series. Choi shares why he started writing the play, what it was like to spend years facing rejection, and how one chance meeting transformed the story he thought he was telling. He reflects on being a first-time playwright thrown into television, the full-circle moment of playing Appa after writing from the son’s perspective, and on Toronto’s talent that is often underestimated. It is a candid conversation about writing for the stage, adapting for TV, and how a small play became a cultural phenomenon. Kim’s Convenience by Ins Choi

The Kim family is forced to face some uncomfortable realities. Appa confronts retirement after decades running the convenience store, while his daughter Janet refuses to follow his plans for her future. At church, Umma makes an unexpected connection that changes things for the family. When Janet's old friend shows up at the store and complicates matters, Appa's attempts to help predictably blow up in everyone's faces. This Kim's Convenience episode balances comedy with family drama as the Kims reach a crossroads they can't ignore much longer. Cast: Ins Choi, Brandon McKnight, Esther Chung, Ryan Jinn, Kelly Seo Kim’s Convenience by Ins Choi

One of the most iconic plays of its generation, Kim's Convenience by Ins Choi opens inside a Toronto corner store run by a Korean Canadian family. Later adapted into the global hit CBC and Netflix series, the play introduces Appa Kim, who rules his shop with stubborn pride, sharp opinions, and a deep belief that the store is the centre of the community. As customers come and go, we meet Janet, his fiercely independent photographer daughter, whose life and ambitions sit at odds with her father's expectations. When an unexpected offer to buy the store appears, it quietly destabilizes everything Appa thought was certain. Meanwhile, Janet reconnects with Alex, a police officer who was once best friends with her brother Jung, whose long absence begins to take on new significance. Featuring Ins Choi in the titular role of Appa, the comedy crackles even as deeper family tensions begin to surface. Cast: Ins Choi, Brandon McKnight, Esther Chung, Ryan Jinn, Kelly Seo Kim’s Convenience by Ins Choi Listen to Prodigal, Paolo Santalucia's explosive family drama about power and privilege here .

PlayME is back with a major new season of audio drama, hosted by Laura Mullin and Chris Tolley. Five acclaimed plays. Big performances. Theatre you can binge anytime, anywhere. Leading the season is Kim’s Convenience by Ins Choi, one of the most celebrated plays of its generation. Set inside a Toronto corner store, this iconic family comedy is warm, funny, and deeply moving, exploring immigration, generational clash, and belonging through the lives of a Korean Canadian family. Adapted into a global CBC and Netflix hit, Kim’s Convenience is a modern classic. Also featured this season is Table for Two by Akosua Amo-Adem, a sharp and relatable romantic comedy about dating and self-worth. The Drawer Boy by Michael Healey returns as a beloved classic exploring memory, trauma, and the power of storytelling. New by Pamela Mala Sinha is an urgent contemporary drama about love, family expectations, and identity. Rounding out the season is The Neighbours by Governor General’s Award winner Nicolas Billon, a gripping psychological thriller that asks how good people can become complicit in acts of cruelty. Each audio drama is paired with exclusive conversations with the playwrights, offering insight into the stories behind the scripts. Press play for unforgettable stories, powerful performances, and theatre made to listen.

Hosts Laura Mullin and Chris Tolley transform PlayME into an audio gala celebrating the Playwrights Guild of Canada’s Tom Hendry Awards, honouring the writers shaping the future of Canadian storytelling. This special episode reveals the 2025 shortlists and features conversations with leading voices in the arts, including The Globe and Mail’s Aisling Murphy, composer and lyricist Kevin Wong, Young People’s Theatre Artistic Director Herbie Barnes, director and mentor Jillian Keiley, and National Arts Centre English Theatre Artistic Director Nina Lee Aquino. Together, they explore the creative process, emerging trends, and why live storytelling continues to matter in a digital world. Whether you love theatre or simply great writing, this episode offers an inspiring look at the people and ideas defining Canada’s cultural landscape.

Playwright Makram Ayache joins Chris Tolley to talk about growing up queer in rural Alberta. Hear about how the loss of Ayache's father influenced his acclaimed play The Green Line, and what it means to write from a place of “in-betweenness." The Green Line, nominated for a Governor General’s Award, is a lyrical journey through love, loss, and the legacy of queer identity across generations.