Around Queens: Keeping Theater Alive in Queens with Thomas Harmon ep 005

In this episode of Around Queens, I sit down with Thom Harmon, performer and co-founder of City Gate Productions, an independent theater company helping grow the performing arts scene in Queens. Originally from Philadelphia, Thom built a career in fundraising for academic medical research, but a late-in-life audition reignited his lifelong passion for theater and storytelling. We talk about the importance of collaboration in the arts, the challenges independent theater companies face when it comes to funding and audiences, and why Queens’ diversity makes it such a powerful home for creative work. Around Queens is a long-form interview series that explores how people build meaning, systems, and community when the old rules no longer work. Each episode centers on a single conversation with a Queens-based builder, creator, or organizer—not to spotlight titles or résumés, but to understand the moments that changed their direction and the values shaping what they’re building now. The show looks beyond charity and success narratives to examine care as design, dignity as infrastructure, and quality of life as a measure of progress. While rooted in Queens, these stories speak to a global audience navigating uncertainty, policy shifts, economic pressure, and the search for what actually matters. Hosted by Luchia Dragosh, Around Queens treats the borough as a lens—not a limit—for understanding how people respond when institutions fall short, and humans step in. qptv.org