Slings & Arrows (2003)
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Peter Wellington — Director
Episodes 4
Oliver's Dream
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.
Read MoreGeoffrey Returns
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.
Read MoreMadness in Great Ones
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.
Read MoreBirnam Wood
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.
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