Soulpepper Presents BILLY BISHOP GOES TO WAR in Montreal 2/13-3/6

Soulpepper Theatre Company presents BILLY BISHOP GOES TO WAR in Montreal from February 13 - March 6, 2011. The production stars its creators, John Gray and Eric Peterson, and will be directed by Soulpepper founding member Ted Dykstra.

The musical premiered at the Vancouver East Cultural Centre in 1978, and has toured nationally and internationally many times since, as well as inspired a CBC and BBC co-produced television program. Billy Bishop won the 1981 Los Angeles Drama Critics' Award, the 1982 Chalmers Canadian Play Award, and the 1983 Governor General's Award for drama, as well as an ACTRA award for best television program. Gray and Peterson revised the show in 1998, adding one new song and presenting events through the eyes of an older Bishop recalling his wartime experiences. Billy Bishop Goes To War continues to be one of the most popular Canadian musicals.

Soulpepper's 2009 presentation of BILLY BISHOP GOES TO WAR was widely critically acclaimed and was lauded as a hit of the 2009 theatre season by Eye Weekly, The Globe and Mail, The National Post, Toronto Star, and the Toronto Sun. BILLY BISHOP GOES TO WAR was brought back to the Soulpepper stage to open the 2010 season to sold-out houses and critical acclaim once again.

Soulpepper's production of BILLY BISHOP GOES TO WAR presented by Theatre Calgary and One Yellow Rabbit Performance Theatre runs January 18 - January 22, 2011 as part of the 25th Annual High Performance Rodeo in CalGary Alberta and at the Segal Centre for Performing Arts in Montreal Quebec from February 13 - March 6, 2011.

Soulpepper Theatre Company is an artist-founded, classical repertory theatre company with a three-tiered mandate: to present the world's greatest stories in vital Canadian interpretations; to train a new generation of theatre artists; and to inspire and enrich youth through mentorship and access programs. More information can be found at the website: http://www.soulpepper.ca/