The Firecracker Department

Jan 29 2025 229 ep. 60 mins 8

The Firecracker Department Podcast artwork

Award-winning actor Naomi Snieckus (Second City, Disney’s Zombies) is getting real with fellow artists about their struggles, successes, and everything in between. A new episode is out every 2 weeks.

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Veena Sood says yes to opportunities

Jan 29 2025 68 mins

This week on the Firecracker Department podcast, host Naomi Snieckus teams up with the fabulous Jody Quine from our Vancouver chapter to chat with the incredible Veena Sood! From feeling a sudden calling at the age of 14, to her early days of Theatre Sports with Keith Johnstone, to her starring role in Children Ruin Everything for CTV, Veena shares inspiring stories, behind-the-sce

The Writers Lab - Elizabeth Kaiden and Nitza Wilon talk about amplifying the voices of women

Jan 15 2025 57 mins

Naomi sits down with the powerhouse duo behind The Writers Lab - Nitza and Elizabeth! We dive into their incredible journey of building a space that empowers underrepresented voices in screenwriting. From that first letter to Meryl Streep to the creative chaos of launching a groundbreaking initiative, their story is one of passion, perseverance, and purpose. They share the persona

Nia Vardalos gets incredible advice from the most unbelievable sources

Jan 01 2025 64 mins

Actress and screenwriter Nia Vardalos has received advice and opportunities from some truly unexpected sources. While working the box office at Toronto’s Second City, she tells Naomi how she fell in love with improv, deepened her passion for acting, and prepared herself for a breakthrough moment—stepping onto the stage when another actor fell ill. That pivotal experience set h

Janet McMordie is living the ultimate double life, and celebrating the wins along the way

Dec 18 2024 67 mins

Janet McMordie is living the ultimate double life: she’s a practicing doctor and an actor, juggling two incredibly demanding careers with an impressive amount of energy and humor. She also hosts the Second Act Actors podcast, where she chats with fellow actors hustling to catch up to the pros who seem light-years ahead in the industry. In her conversation with Naomi, Janet o

Winnie Jong prides herself on delivering strong performances & finding magic in scripts

Dec 04 2024 62 mins

Winnie Jong (Law & Order Toronto, Jane) may now be recognized as a director, but her journey started behind the scenes as a script supervisor. Growing up across the street from a movie theatre, she fell in love with cinema, watching Federico Fellini films and dreaming of directing her own someday. In her chat with Naomi, Winnie recalls how she initially saw script supervising as a

Jennifer Liao will always remember her lighting bolt moment

Nov 20 2024 69 mins

Jennifer Liao’s journey from actor to writer and director is fueled by her passion for storytelling. Growing up dreaming of being a sitcom writer, she credits her love of Shakespeare and poetry for teaching her how to dig into text and find its layers. She shares with Naomi how her experience as an actor shaped the way she approaches directing, helping her connect with performer

Melanie Scrofano gives herself permission to fail

Nov 06 2024 42 mins

In this special episode of The Firecracker Department Podcast, actor, writer, and director Melanie Scrofano (Letterkenny, Wynonna Earp) sits down with Naomi for a candid chat about their careers, the value of community, and trusting their instincts. Melanie talks openly about her ongoing struggle to balance everything at once and her passion for creating characters that feel re

Mia Bella wants to be best known for connecting to others through her art

Oct 23 2024 67 mins

At 15, actress and singer Mia Bella is carving a solid path for herself in the entertainment industry. Fueled by her passion for her craft and her parents’ unconditional support, Mia’s love of music at a young age has helped her pursue her dreams and she tells Naomi how much she looks forward to exploring more of her interests as her career progresses. Throughout her career, s

Robin Duke is improvising through her funny life

Oct 09 2024 66 mins

Robin Duke is a comedy powerhouse whose talent spans all mediums. After getting her start on SCTV and transitioning to SNL as the first female cast member hired as a writer, Robin tells Naomi about her mission to write sketches that painted women in different lights and showed their strengths. She talks about how much she loved writing for other people, showing that comedy by women

Adeline Bird is a champion of rest & resurgence

Jul 17 2024 71 mins

Adeline Bird is the true definition of a multi-hyphenate, unapologetic artist. As an actor, storyteller, director, author, podcaster and social worker (just to name a few), Adeline has taken all of her experiences in her various disciplines and used them to fuel her creativity and find her voice. She tells Naomi and Jennifer how important her Afro-Indigenous identity is, and leads