CREATIVE TEAM
The voices behind The Sparrow
A WORD WITH NICHOLAS AND OLLY
One-on-one with the authors of The Sparrow
How did The Sparrow first take flight? And when did you each come on board?
I started writing The Sparrow in 2023. At first, I didn't intend to write a full musical - I just wanted to outline the story and eventually hand it over to someone else. I shared the idea with Adam Morris, who contributed enormously to the early development of the piece. But as I kept adding, cutting, and reshaping scenes, I realised I didn't want to let it go. By the summer of 2025, I'd reached the fourth draft of the script and decided to look for a new composer to bring it to life. That's when Olly entered the picture.
I jumped on board when Nicholas - who'd been working on the libretto for a while! - approached me to write the music. I fell in love with the story and Nick's adaptation of it upon first reading!
I sent Olly the script with zero expectations, just hoping he might connect with it. Within days, he'd written a short musical sketch, and it felt like he could hear the world of The Sparrow before I'd even described it!