TV, Canadian style

Slings & Arrows deserves much more thought than I gave it yesterday, because it really is well-made and smart and funny and dark and ambitious and all of those lovely things. I wouldn’t call it particularly fun, because it’s uncomfortable to watch the main character go mad and carry on full conversations with the theater’s former, deceased artistic director. Still, it’s uncomfortable in a sharp, intelligent way, which allows the viewer to feel certain that the unpleasantness is worthwhile, and will be made up for by a deeper satisfaction in the end.

Aside from the show’s incredible writing, the large and talented cast, and its dedication to praising Shakespeare at every turn, my primary impression turns out to be way more trivial. Every other minute, I am just blown away by how Canadian it is. The whole fictional New Burbage Festival is self-consciously engaged in the perpetuation of culture in a way that seems incomparable with any single American institution. There is actually a Minister of Culture who shows up every few episodes and has to be convinced to continue funding the festival. The perception that New Burbage Festival has a responsibility to Canadian citizens extends throughout the inner festival workings, so that every decision about what play to put on, what actor to cast, what it means when Americans are on stage, and whether or not to dilute the festival with musical, becomes a gesture of Canadian selfhood.

A popular New Burbage hotspot: Yong's Canadian and Chinese Food

Plus, everyone constantly apologizes for everything. Okay, it’s an easy and possibly unfair point to make, but you would not believe how often these characters say “sorry!” to each other. Ellen Fanshawe, the diva lead company actress, goes on stereotypical actress rampages, shows up late to rehearsal, and has knock-down blow out fights with her directors, but still finishes each tirade with “Sorry, everybody. Sorry!” Not only is it sort of a revelation to watch a show where people manage to disagree while also being decent human beings, the constant focus on civility highlights one of the show’s most interesting themes – the relationship between art and business.

New Burbage Festival's leadership: Artistic director on left, business director on right

One of the original things about Slings & Arrows’s depiction of the New Burbage theater company is the focus on acting as a profession. The characters are all artists, devoted to the stage and constantly feeding off the emotional intensity necessary to perform well, but they’re also business colleagues who have to live and work with each other year after year. The art vs. business theme continues into the sillier side of the show, which involves many clashes between the festival’s business director and the artistic director and frequently revels in the business director’s secret love of musical theater. The debate adds a real-world component to the fancy literary premise, and I think it’s a debate Shakespeare would have been engaged in himself. In an American show, it would seem disingenuous for art to win out in the end, but from the Canadian perspective, where culture has its own dedicated minister in the government, it’s almost believable.