Billy Bishop Goes to War
Written and composed by John Gray in collaboration with Eric Peterson
Starring Ryan Beil (2010 Jessie Richardson Award for Best Actor) and Zachary Gray
Directed by Sarah Rodgers (2010 Jessie Richardson Award for Outstanding Direction)
JULY 20 – AUGUST 14, 2010
"Do your heart a favour and break it by seeing Billy Bishop Goes to War… I urge every red-blooded Canuck who can to catch a moving presentation of this Canadian classic…Beil and Gray fit hand in glove, whether singing beautiful harmonies or playing the part of pals in hell, their tight teamwork makes this show much more than the sum of its parts…you may well be moved to tears by this rich and timely return to a touching tribute." Peter Birnie, The Vancouver Sun
"I urge you to see this cocky, hilarious tour de force…Ryan Beil accomplishes the impossible…He takes one of the best-known plays in the Canadian theatrical canon and makes it howl on the stage as though it were just born. I was riveted…" Michael Harris, Globe and Mail
"An absolute triumph" The Guardian
"A high-flying ace of a show, capturing the humour, the hellfire and the derring-do of an extraordinary career" The New York Times
"Billy Bishop is, simply, a sensational evening’s entertainment…" The Globe and Mail
A Canadian masterpiece. An acclaimed new production. Billy Bishop Goes to War follows a born loser from Owen Sound as he becomes the greatest of all World War I flying aces. With its charming songs and delicious wit, Billy Bishop has delighted audiences around the world, and won the Governor General’s Award, the Chalmers Award and the Los Angeles Drama Critics Award.
Ticket Information – tickets on sale June 15
Tickets range in price from $23 – $38 (plus HST). Discounts are available for students (50% off for High School Students, 25% off for University and College Students). Tickets are available at 250-385-6815.
Tickets range in price from $23 – $38 (plus HST). Discounts are available for students (50% off for High School Students, 25% off for University and College Students). Tickets are available at 250-385-6815.
Performance Schedule (July 20 – August 14, 2010)
Mondays – Saturdays at 8 pm
Saturday Matinees at 4 pm
Saturday Matinees at 4 pm
A Note from the Director – Sarah Rodgers
It has been an absolute thrill, adventure, and honour to direct this gem of a piece. Billy Bishop Goes to War celebrated its 30th anniversary last year. It premiered with Eric Peterson and John Gray at the Vancouver East Cultural Centre in 1978. Indeed, the three of us collaborating in this production have all been affected greatly by this play. Ryan Beil saw Eric Peterson’s return performance in 1998 and decided in that moment that he wanted to be an actor. Zachary Gray himself, well, rumour has it, was conceived on tour in the early days of Billy Bishop Goes to War. He is a Billy Bishop baby.
A few years ago over a beer in a Chemainus pub, Ryan Beil shared with me a story about his dear high school friend Zachary Gray. For Remembrance Day at their high school, Ryan had recited The Dying of Albert Ball and Zach had sung “Friends Ain’t S’posed to Die” on guitar. Suddenly, I was filled with excitement—the thought of doing a young, fresh version of Billy Bishop Goes to War sprung to mind. How wonderful to bring forth the ‘next generation’; a young, new sound to a beautiful show.
The idea of introducing a new instrument and actually having performers in their 20s (much closer to the actual ages of the young fighter pilots of WW1) appealed to me. Billy Bishop was 24 years old at the height of the war and his military career; many of the pilots shot down were barely 20. No performer under the age of 30 has ever played Billy Bishop until this production. I think that the role of Billy Bishop is like a Canadian Hamlet; actors get to their late 30s and think: “God, if I am ever going to get to play Billy Bishop, I have to do it now!”
