Happy Friday, everyone, and welcome to Fashionably Late, our new Friday feature about Canadian talent in film and television.
As Canadians, we have many admirable qualities, as we have been bragging to each other over the past few weeks, but if we’re bing honest, we aren’t great at supporting our homegrown talent while they’re still here at home.
Enter Fashionably Late, our weekly recommendations and commentary on films and TV series created during the first 25 years of the 21st century that feature Canadian actors, directors, writers and other talented citizens.
So cuddle up, grab some snacks and let’s dive in.
We’re heading into a double-double of celebrations this weekend. Saturday, February 15, is National Flag Day1, a day most Canadians haven’t really ever commemorated –until now. Then, for about two-thirds of us, we’ve got a long weekend courtesy of a provincial holiday, which this year is Monday, February 17.2
What better way to while away a three-day weekend than with a three-season-long series - introducing Slings and Arrows, my favourite TV series and ultimate comfort watch.
Slings and Arrows originally aired for three seasons on The Movie Network, for 2003 to 2006. Today you can stream it on CBC Gem.
Slings and Arrows takes place at a fictional Shakespearean theatre festival in New Burbage, Canada – based on the Stratford Festival, in Stratford, ON.
Each season focuses on The New Burbage Festival's production of a different Shakespearean play.
The themes of the play are often juxtaposed with personal and professional conflicts facing the festival's cast and crew.
Season 1 – Hamlet explores self-doubt.
Season 2 – Macbeth features power struggles.
Season 3 – King Lear focuses on making peace with the past.
Slings and Arrows is a great place to start an exploration of Canadian culture in the 21st century because it is a blend of veteran and emerging talent.
It was co-created by: longtime writer and producer Susan Coyne, Mark McKinney of Kids in the Hall, and veteran musical theatre star and writer Bob Martin.
Coyne and McKinney are part of the main cast and are joined by: Paul Gross as artistic director Geoffrey Tennant; Martha Burns as lead actress Ellen; and Stephen Ouimette as Oliver, Ellen and Geoffrey’s recently deceased friend and former artistic director, who haunts Geoffrey, offering stage notes and commentary.
Other actors in the series include: Rachel McAdams, Luke Kirby, Geraint Wyn Davies, Colm Feore, Sarah Polley, William Hutt, Don McKellar, Sean Cullen, Michael Polley, Jonathan Crombie, Graham Greene and Karen Robinson.
Slings and Arrows is very funny, with lovely heartbeats of emotion – a well-balanced blend of love and frustration with each other, with bureaucracy, and with having to make due when we dream of so much more.
When I want to feel love for Canada, Slings and Arrows is often where I start because from there I can go down all these different paths, by tracing the careers of all these Canadian creators – which is what we’re going to do. Each week I’ll take a bit of a deeper dive into the body of work of some of the cast members of Slings and Arrows.
How you enjoy the show.
Canadian Heritage. (n.d.). National Flag of Canada Day. Government of Canada. Retrieved February 14, 2025, from https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/national-flag-canada-day.html
Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Family Day (Canada). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved February 14, 2025, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_Day_(Canada)
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