Slings and Arrows 

In the fictional town of New Burbage, legendary theatrical madman Geoffrey Tennant returns to the New Burbage Theatre Festival, the site of his greatest triumph and most humiliating failure... See full summary »

Creators:

Susan Coyne, Bob Martin, Mark McKinney

Stars:

Paul Gross, Martha Burns, Stephen Ouimette

23 wins & 31 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Paul Gross	...	Geoffrey Tennant 18 episodes, 2003-2006
Martha Burns	...	Ellen Fanshaw 18 episodes, 2003-2006
Stephen Ouimette	...	Oliver Welles 18 episodes, 2003-2006
Susan Coyne	...	Anna Conroy 18 episodes, 2003-2006
Don McKellar	...	Darren Nichols 18 episodes, 2003-2006
Mark McKinney	...	Richard Smith-Jones 18 episodes, 2003-2006
Oliver Dennis	...	Jerry 18 episodes, 2003-2006
Graham Harley	...	Cyril 17 episodes, 2003-2006
Michael Polley	...	Frank 17 episodes, 2003-2006
Catherine Fitch	...	Maria 17 episodes, 2003-2006
Leon Pownall	...	Brian 12 episodes, 2003-2005
Rothaford Gray	...	Nahum 11 episodes, 2003-2006
Seán Cullen	...	Basil 10 episodes, 2003-2005
Matt Fitzgerald	...	Sloan 8 episodes, 2003-2005

Storyline

In the fictional town of New Burbage, legendary theatrical madman Geoffrey Tennant returns to the New Burbage Theatre Festival, the site of his greatest triumph and most humiliating failure, to assume the artistic directorship after the sudden death of his mentor, Oliver Welles. When Geoffrey arrives he finds that Oliver is still there, in spirit anyway, and with his guidance (and often in spite of it) Geoffrey attempts to reconcile with his past while wrestling the festival back from the marketing department. Despite a bitter leading lady, a clueless leading man, and a scheming general manager, he manages to stage a remarkable production of Hamlet -- the play that drove him mad.

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Plot Keywords:

theatre festival | magical realism | reference to william shakespeare | canadian | backstage | 

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Taglines:

The real show is backstage.

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Genres:

Comedy

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Geoffrey Tennant's history of breakdown while performing Hamlet may have been inspired by Daniel Day-Lewis who suffered a genuine nervous breakdown in 1989 and became convinced on stage that he was talking to the ghost of his own father, the poet Cecil Day-Lewis. He walked off in mid-performance.

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Quotes

Cyril: [singing, with friend joining in on the chorus] Cheer up, Hamlet; chin up, Hamlet; buck up, you melancholy Dane! So your uncle is a cad who murdered Dad and married Mum. That's really no excuse to be as glum as you've become! So wise up, Hamlet; rise up, Hamlet; perk up and sing a new refrain. Your incessant monologizing fills the castle with ennui. Your antic disposition is embarrassing to see. And by the way, you sulky brat, the answer is to be! You're driving poor Ophelia insane. So shut up, ...

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Connections

Referenced in In Depth: Ben Shapiro (2013)

User Reviews

absolutely the best TV show to come along in years.

You can tell that this TV show came out of a country other the the US because it's so well acted, very funny and just plain brilliant. It's unashamedly aimed at adults with IQ's over 10. I've been a huge fan of Stephen Ouimettes for years so I expected nothing but the best from him, but what a pleasant surprise to find this show chock a block with actors who actually can act. I watched the first two seasons straight through the night purring like a cat with a saucer of cream. It's great fun seeing how the theatre works behind the scenes - at last a show with a unique theme, original ideas and clever writing. I hope this one lasts and lasts.

Details

Official Sites:

Movie Central - Season 2 Movie Network

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 November 2003 (Canada)

Also Known As:

Slings and Arrows

Filming Locations:

Sanderson Centre for the Performing Arts, Brantford, Ontario, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

Rhombus Media

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Color:

Color