Oliver Mills – Book, Music & Lyrics
Oliver is a composer, director and producer currently operating in Greater Manchester. Specialising in Musical Theatre, he has written and produced 3 full-length shows: Clusical, A Christmas Carol and, most recently, The Tree of War, written to commemorate the centenary of World War One. Additionally, he has scored numerous plays for theatre companies across the north of England, including The Jekyll & Hyde Case (York, 2014), Anne Boleyn (York, 2013), Rohilla (North-East Tour, 2014) and The Mai (York, 2015).
He has written many concert pieces and arrangements for a wide range of ensembles, has provided music for numerous social media campaigns and recently co-produced a re-vitalised arrangement of the Toys ‘R Us Jingle for broadcast over the Christmas period. More about Oliver’s work can be found here: www.olivermillscomposer.co.uk
Rachel Mann – Book & Lyrics
Rachel Mann is Priest-in-Charge of St Nicholas Burnage and Resident Poet and Minor Canon at Manchester Cathedral. She fell in love with theatre as a teenager, being invited to join the National Youth Theatre at the age of 20. The Tree of War is her first full-length musical theatre collaboration. Rachel has written four books, including the best-selling Dazzling Darkness and The Risen Dust, and contributed to many others. She writes regularly for newspapers and contributes to BBC Radio 2’s Pause for Thought and other radio shows.
The Great War has long fascinated Rachel and, in addition to The Tree of War, it is the subject of her latest book, Fierce Imaginings: The Great War, Ritual, Memory & God.
The Tree of War is particularly special for Rachel. Both her grandfathers fought in The Great War and the scars wrought by the trenches have shaped her family history to this day.