Slings & Arrows

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.