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This darkly comic Canadian series follows the fortunes of a dysfunctional Shakespearean theatre troupe at the fictional New Burbage Festival, exposing the high drama, scorching battles, and artistic miracles that happen behind the scenes.
“RUN, do not WALK, to watch SLINGS & ARROWS”
2003
Seven years after suffering a mental breakdown during a performance of "Hamlet" at the New Burbage Festival, Geoffrey Tennant is struggling to make ends meet, managing the dilapidated Theatre Sans Argent (Theatre Without Money). Oliver Welles, still the artistic director at the festival, is mounting his tenth identical production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream", and is worried that his has lost his creative edge. Richard Smith-Jones, general manager of the festival, attempts to save the funding as their sponsor, Lenstrex, goes through a change of management. The new Lenstrex liaison, Holly Day, seems interest in the festival, and in Richard. Kate McNab, an actress making her debut in the play, is shocked that her high school drama teacher wants to give up his teaching career to act in the festival.
Richard find himself overwhelmed trying to keep the festival running smoothly in the wake of Oliver's death. Kate ditches rehearsals to audition for a Corny Smacks commercial, and unwittingly runs into Hollywood action star Jack Crew. Jack has been hired to play Hamlet in the festival, but his arrival has been forgotten during the preparations for Oliver's funeral. Emma begins a relationship with Sloan, a young flower deliveryman who rescues her neglected chameleon. Geoffrey visits the funeral home, and questions his sanity when Oliver begins to speak to him from "the other side". Richard turns Oliver's funeral into a stage production in an attempt to be promoted to artistic director. Despite his delivering of a scathing speech at Oliver's funeral, the board of directors offers the job of artistic director to Geoffrey, on a temporary basis. Anna asks Geoffrey to help carry out Oliver's final request, a request that may have legal implications.
Geoffrey hands the actual production of Hamlet over to Stage Director Darren Nichols, so that he can devote himself to supervising the Festival's new money-making scheme, the "Shakespeare in Business Seminar". Holly Day spirits Richard off to Toronto to see Mamma Mia and indulge in more scheming. Kate and Jack enjoy a movie-popcorn afternoon while tongues wag. Geoffrey manages to alienate everyone when he is interviewed by a theatre critic, then gets drunk and challenges Darren to a sword duel.
In jail after his escapade at Ellen's party, Geoffrey is visited by the ghost of his dead mentor Oliver, who cousels him on the danger of trying to ignore his past feelings for Ellen, the woman who once broke his heart. Meanwhile, Holly and Richard work on their merchandising scheme, which involves a Shakespeare themed village of retail stores. Geoffrey is finally forced to fire Darren as director, to the relief of the cast but the worry of the Board of Directors.
With Geoffrey now directing the production of Hamlet, Richard and Holly fear that his success may doom their plan to redirect corporate resources to the Shakespeare Village. But their attempt to derail the production is foiled by one of the actors literally "breaking a leg."
It's opening day and the play's leading man, in a low ebb of self-esteem, has gone missing. Richard is revealed as a traitor to the company of actors. Ellen reveals to Geoffrey what really happened that night 7 years before. With Kate's help, can the play go on?
2005
“Slings & Arrows’” second season revisits the comically dysfunctional New Burbage Theater Festival, under the artistic direction of Geoffrey Tennant (Paul Gross). Tennant’s triumph with “Hamlet” has done nothing to solve the theater’s financial woes, and now he has no choice but to mount a new production of the most jinxed play in theatrical history: “Macbeth.” Ellen's boyfriend also proposes to her, but thanks to Geoffrey's interference, she declines.
It's Christmas and Ellen, enjoying her re-kindled love with Geoffrey, decides to celebrate in style - but fails miserably. Meanwhile Geoffrey struggles with The Scottish Play, a fact that isn't helped by Anna's discovery of eight boxes' worth of production notes left by Oliver and the arrival of the star of the show, egomanical actor Henry Breedlove. Richard, running out of options to solve the festival's financial dilemma, decides to apply for a government credit. There's a catch - the money must be used for 're-branding'. So Richard employs a hot new advertising agency to come up with a new, youthful image for New Burbage. Anna has her hands full with a bunch of teenage interns. And to top it off, Oliver (or rather his ghost) returns to the stage in the middle of an elementary school production of Macbeth.
The curse of Macbeth seems to work its dark magic on the festival. Geoffrey struggles with Oliver over staging, the guest director for Romeo and Juliet breaks her neck falling off the stage - the only one available to replace her is Geoff's arch-enemy Darren Nichols( Don McKellar) - and Ellen finds out she's being audited by Revenue Canada. Richard is shocked to find that Sanjay Rainier, head of Froghammer Advertising, has launched a controversial campaign to re-brand the festival. Only, the regular subscribers are not amused and cancel in droves. Meanwhile, Henry Breedlove (Geraint Wyn Davies) undermines Geoffrey's direction of the play and manages to draw Ellen to his side, which is due to the fact that Eleen is losing Geoffrey to the ghost of his former boss.
After a big fight with Ellen, Geoffrey has moved into a storage room at the theater. He is still fighting both his actors and Oliver who refuse to accept his ideas for the play. In the meantime, Ellen has to find a way to get her financial records straight for the audit. She brings in her brother-in-law to help her - with unforeseen consequences. Darren Nichols' idea of staging Romeo and Juliet doesn't sit well with his actors either. Sick of improvisation exercises and portraying signifiers instead of young people in love, Sarah (Joanne Kelly) and Patrick (David Alpay) ask Geoffrey to help them, who secretly coaches them since he promised Nichols not to 'interfere' with his production. Anna starts a romance with an author whose new play is the subject of the festival's workshop. Meanwhile, the controversial advertising campaign has the festival in more financial trouble than ever but Richard, totally under the influence of Sanjay Rainier, refuses to change course. So Macbeth goes into previews with hardly an audience. At the end of the evening Geoffrey fires Henry Breedlove for ignoring his direction and the festival has to face a season without its star magnet.
Ellen's audit is not going well and she is shocked to hear that a settlement will be forced on her if she can't hand in all of her records on time. Sarah and Patrick, after an 'intense' nighttime rehersal, find themselves in bed together, which is odd since Patrick is openly gay. Still, Romeo and Juliet is far from being ready to open. Writer Lionel Train uses Anna as his main inspiration for his new play. Come opening night she doesn't feel flattered anymore as she sees her darkest secrets revealed to the audience. The production of Macbeth is also faced with the dilemma of having to replace Henry Breedlove, who was the main attraction. But the understudy proves himself despite personal problems and stage fright. Nevertheless, at the end of the evening Ellen asks a reluctant Geoffrey to ask Henry to come back. The latter, with the help of seasoned actor Brian Cabot (Leon Pownall), has come to the decision to ask Geoffrey for the same thing. But when Geoffrey asks first, Henry feels vindicated and arrogantly informs Geoffrey that he will play Macbeth - but his own way. But all is not well in the end which finds Richard close to a nervous breakdown when Sanjay is arrested by the RCMP and is found to be a con-artist. With the government funds gone and no new sponsors in sight, New Burbage seems doomed.
All's well that ends well, or so it seems at the beginning. Richard, gloomily heads over to the theater only to find that hords of teenagers clog the box office to get tickets for Macbeth. In fact, the show is nearly sold out. He at least can face opening night in good spirits. Not so Geoffrey, who still has to deal with an actor refusing to take his direction. So he decides to put in some last minute changes and teach Henry Breedlove a lesson he won't soon forget. His plan works and he is rewarded by a stellar performance of his cast as well as a black eye from Henry Breedlove's fist. All that's left to do is save Romeo and Juliet from total disaster. Giving his most dramatic performance in years, Geoffrey convinces Darren Nichols to rethink his concept and stage the play as the desperate love story it is. And another pair of lovers finds themselves re-united in the end, although not in death. With a little help from Sloan, Ellen and Geoffrey get back together.
2006
With last season's Macbeth the toast of Broadway, Geoffrey is under pressure to deliver another hit. The play he has chosen is an even greater challenge, King Lear. Terrified to climb this Everest alone, he seeks out his ghostly mentor, Oliver Wells. But Oliver is nowhere to be seen. As for Ellen, Geoffrey's on again/off again lover, she is too busy taking Geoffrey's panic personally to be of any help. So Geoffrey turns to his boyhood hero Charles Kingman, who he coaxes out of retirement to play King Lear.
Richard discovers a kindred spirit in Nigel, the talented young writer of East Hastings. With Nigel's encouragement, and a few tips from Geoffrey, Richard takes on Darren's musical dictatorship.
While Oliver looks on smugly, Andrew forces Geoffrey to confront his feelings about his ghostly nemesis. The bond between Sophie and Paul is weakened by Paul's increasing fascination with Megan and her singing voice.
Ellen gets offered a lead role in a new tv series and Geoffrey is now living with Charles. But on opening night for Lear, Charles goes missing. This causes Richard to step in and take drastic measures, which Geoffrey is against.
Geoffrey and Anna must join forces in order to convince Charles to play Lear. All the tension that has been rising in the actors eventually leads them into a bar brawl.
Thanks to Charles, Lear gets canceled and Geoffrey's future at the festival is in doubt. Also Ellen finally fires Barbara. The end of the series also ends in typical Shakespearean fashion, with a wedding and a song.
Paul Gross
Geoffrey Tennant
Stephen Ouimette
Oliver Welles
Martha Burns
Ellen Fanshaw
Susan Coyne
Anna Conroy
William Hutt
Charles
Seán Cullen
Basil
Chris Leavins
Andrew McTeague
Sarah Polley
Sophie
Graham Harley
Cyril
Don McKellar
Darren Nichols
