Join us for a special screening of “Billy Bishop Goes to War”, with director Barbara Willis Sweete and designer Teresa Przybylski in attendance. An adaptation of the award-winning play by John Gray and Eric Peterson, this film vividly tells the story of Canada’s renowned World War I flying ace through a unique fusion of music, drama, and history. Audiences will have the chance to engage with Barbara and Teresa about the making of the film and the creative process behind adapting this remarkable play to the screen.
This is a free event, but registration is required. Please use the form, located further down this page, to register or call 519 599 3681.
Barbara Willis Sweete
Barbara Willis Sweete is a veteran Director and Producer specializing in films related to the Performing Arts. Her work has been shown at major international festivals and has received many top awards, including an Oscar nomination for Making Overtures; a Rockie for Dido & Aeneas; four International Emmys for Concerto, Pictures on the Edge, The Planets and Yo-Yo Ma - Inspired Bach; and three Grammy nominations for Don Giovanni Unmasked, Pictures on the Edge and The Planets. The Young Romantic garnered four Gemini Awards, including Best Director, and Songs of Freedom won 3 Canadian Screen Awards, also including Best Director.
Barbara has directed more than 30 HD Live transmissions for New York’s Metropolitan Opera. This Emmy and Peabody winning series of opera performances is streamed live via satellite to 2,600 cinemas in 76 countries.
More recently, Barbara has directed over a dozen live streams of dance productions for such companies as Citadel & Cie, Fall for Dance North and Mark Morris Dance Group. She has just completed two one-hour dance films Four Old Legs, featuring Evelyn Hart, and Julie et l’univers, both produced by Laurence Lemieux.
Born in British Columbia, Barbara has an ARCT (Piano Performance) from the Royal Conservatory of Music, a BA (Honours, Music) from the University of Western Ontari, and a Doctorate of Letters (honoris causa) from York University. She has been honoured, along with ten others, on the University of Western Ontario Faculty of Music’s inaugural “Wall of Fame” and is the recipient of an Opera Canada Award (The Ruby) for Outstanding Achievement in Opera.
Teresa Przybylski
Teresa Przybylski is an architect and a theatre designer best known for her designs in theatre, opera, dance and film. Her credits include designs for National Arts Centre, Stratford Shakespeare Festival, Shaw Festival, Canadian Opera Company, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Pacific Opera, Young Peoples Theatre, Tarragon Theatre, Factory Theatre, Nightwood Theatre, Canadian Stage and others.
Teresa's work in theatre was awarded with five Dora Mavor Moore Awards and seventeen Nominations. She is a recipient of two Gemini Awards for Film and Television Production Design: Don Giovanni Unmasked, Stormy Weather (Producer: Rhombus Media).
She is a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts and Associated Designers of Canada.