'Billy Bishop Goes to War' Returns Home for One Night Only at Bruce County Playhouse

The award-winning Canadian musical Billy Bishop Goes to War comes to Bruce County Playhouse on Nov. 8, starring Matt John Evans as the legendary Owen Sound flying ace.

A Canadian theatre classic with deep local roots will take the stage in Southampton next month. Billy Bishop Goes to War, the Governor General’s Award–winning musical that celebrates Owen Sound’s most famous First World War flying ace, will be performed for one night only at the Bruce County Playhouse on November 8, 2025.

The acclaimed two-person show stars local actor and five-time Western Ontario Drama League Award winner Matt John Evans as Billy Bishop—and as fifteen other characters who bring Bishop’s remarkable life to the stage.

Evans, whose recent screen credits include Murdoch Mysteries (CBC) and Fellow Travellers (Paramount+), has also appeared in films such as Beowulf & Grendel, Black Swan, Things To Do, and The Birdmen.

Accompanying Evans on stage is musician Michael Mulrooney, whose live piano performance drives the energy and emotion of the story.

Mulrooney’s extensive career includes work as musical director, conductor, and arranger on more than 200 theatrical productions across Canada and abroad. His past credits include Les Misérables, Show Boat, Sunset Boulevard, Ragtime, and Kiss of the Spider Woman. He currently teaches in the performing arts programs at Sheridan College.

Combining sharp humour, moving storytelling, and stirring music, Billy Bishop Goes to War captures the life and legend of Air Marshal William Avery “Billy” Bishop, who rose from life in Owen Sound to become one of the Allies’ most decorated pilots during the First World War. The play, written by John Gray in collaboration with Eric Peterson, has been performed worldwide since its debut in 1978.

Diana Bishop, the flying ace’s granddaughter and a former television producer for CBC, CTV, NBC, and Global, praised Evans’s portrayal of her grandfather. “Matt is my favourite Billy Bishop ever. He is a tour de force as my grandfather. Nobody plays this role better—and I have seen them all,” she said.

Tickets for the November 8 performance at Bruce County Playhouse are available through the theatre’s box office and website.