Slo Pitch (web series)

Slo Pitch is a Canadian web television comedy series, co-created by J. Stevens, Gwenlyn Cumyn and Karen Knox.[1] The series centres on the Brovaries, an underachieving softball team for LGBTQ women and non-binary players; despite being perennial losers who are mostly more concerned with drinking beer and meeting women at after-game parties than they are with the sport, they unexpectedly find themselves in the league championships playing against their arch-rival Toronto Blue Gays.[1] Slo Pitch features a fully female and/or non-binary led creative team, a key cast that is 50 percent BIPOC, 70% of the cast and crew identifying as female or non-binary, and 80% of key cast identifying as LGBTQ+.[2]

Slo Pitch
poster
GenreComedy
Created by
  • J. Stevens
  • Gwenlyn Cumyn
  • Karen Knox
Starring
  • Kirsten Rasmussen
  • Gwenlyn Cumyn
  • Karen Knox
  • Lane Webber
  • Kaitlyn Alexander
  • Khadijah Roberts-Abdullah
  • Amanda Cordner
  • Aisha Evelyna
  • Chelsea Muirhead
Country of originCanada
Original languageEnglish

The cast includes Kirsten Rasmussen, Gwenlyn Cumyn, Karen Knox, Lane Webber, Kaitlyn Alexander, Khadijah Roberts-Abdullah, Amanda Cordner, Aisha Evelyna and Chelsea Muirhead.

It premiered August 3, 2020 on OUTtvgo in Canada, and is slated to air on OutTV's linear television channel in 2021.[3] Slo Pitch has been available on Shaftesbury's YouTube channel, KindaTV since August 10, 2020. [4] The series was produced by Shaftesbury Films (Paige Haight, development executive) and Boss & Co (Michael Schram, Cumyn and Knox).[3] with funding from the Independent Production Fund and the Bell Fund.[5] Slo Pitch was shot on a budget of $250,000, over seven days.[3]

Co-writers Knox and Cumyn met 12 years ago at George Brown Theatre School where they started collaborating on plays.[6]

The show’s theme song is called "Play the Field", by Partner.[7]

Plot

Season 1

The show follows a queer female softball team trying to make it to the championships of their competitive beer league in Toronto, Canada. The mockumentary focuses on an overly invested coach named Joanne, played by Kirsten Rasmussen, and her attempts to take her underdog team The Brovaries all the way to championships. [8] Co-creator J Stevens says they got the idea for the show after playing many team sports, and witnessing the amount of drama that comes from the players.[9]

Characters
  • Joanne (played by Kirsten Rasmussen) is the arguably too devoted coach of the Brovaries[10] She's engaged to her longtime girlfriend Sasha, and works as a data analyst.
  • Sasha (played by Chelsea Muirhead) is Joanne’s fiance. She is a successful lawyer.
  • Boris (played by Karen Knox) is a German immigrant to Canada, and the second best player on the team. [7]
  • Ann (played by Gwenlyn Cumyn) plays second base on the Brovaries. She lives in Joanne and Sasha’s basement, and is carrying on an affair with two members of their rival team, The Toronto Blue Gays.[11]
  • Lee (played by Lane Webber) is the resident “mischievous” rookie for the Brovaries. [7]
  • Mel (played by Amanda Cordner) is the so-called MVP of the Brovaries. A former pro-player, Mel has returned to Toronto and given up her professional softball career.[10]
  • Zari (played by Khadijah Roberts-Abdullah) is the only heterosexual member of the Brovaries. In the first season, she tries to “set Boris up with her friend, which turns out to be a huge mess, but she uses a peanut allergy as a means to discuss cultural appropriation.”[12]

Awards

The series was nominated for the LGBTQ+ Spirit Award at the 2020 TOWebfest. [13]

References
  1. John Doyle, "A timely feast of gentle comedy to comfort you". The Globe and Mail, August 1, 2020.
  2. "Everything On Our Pop Culture Radar This August". Elle Canada. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
  3. Kelly Townsend, "Slo Pitch EPs on opportunities in short-form LGBTQ content". Playback, August 17, 2020.
  4. "Web Series Wednesday – Slo Pitch". Starry Constellation Magazine. 2020-07-22. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
  5. "The Bell Fund Announces the Results of the April 8, 2019 Deadline for the Short-Form Digital Series - Fiction Program". Bell Fund. 2019-06-18. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
  6. Liz Braun, "Slo Pitch a hit right off the bat". Toronto Sun, July 19, 2020.
  7. "Review: Slo Pitch, OUTtv and KindaTV". Parton and Pearl. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
  8. "4 happenings to wind you up or wind down with now". Xtra Magazine. 2020-07-16. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
  9. "Slo Pitch Director J Stevens on Telling Stories with a Diverse Cast of Characters". The TV Junkies. 2020-08-04. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
  10. "Web Series Wednesday – Slo Pitch". Starry Constellation Magazine. 2020-07-22. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
  11. "Slo Pitch Brings Queer Identities to Mainstream Media". The TV Junkies. 2020-07-29. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
  12. Kleffner, Katherine (2020-08-25). "The Bi Line: Slo Pitch Review from @kleffnotes". TheNerdyGirlExpress. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
  13. "2020 Nominations". T.O. WebFest | Toronto, Canada. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
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