A Musical at Agile Testing Days | Part I
Agile Testing Days | Nov. 24 - 27, 2025
Agile Testing Days is a 4-day conference (Onsite & Virtual) for international agile software testers and engineers.
Hello AgileTD community,
This is the first special newsletter dedicated to an exceptional session that will take place at Agile Testing Days from November 19 - 22, 2024.
The Agile Testing Days Musical - “The Owl Problem”
Whether you are already part of the community or not, you need to know that AgileTD is open to new ideas, that we break conventions and norms to set new trends, and that we enjoy giving our community something innovative and unique. This is why, after the success of last year’s keynote by Samuel Nitsche and Lena Nyström, we will be hosting the first musical.
This is the first blog post dedicated to this unique session, which will take place at Agile Testing Days from November 19 - 22, 2024. In this first post, we interviewed the team leads behind the musical to learn more about their ideas, processes, and preparation. In the second part, we will introduce the team, their backgrounds, and their connection to music.
The singers:
Interview:
How did you go from the idea to the plan?
Sam: After last year’s AgileTD, there was creative chaos and many emotions. The idea of doing a musical was born at AgileTD 2023 the morning after my keynote with Lena when I entered the “low” - that phase when adrenaline wears off. I even considered to make a pause with visiting ATD. But then, seeing the people, feeling the atmosphere, ideas started to float around in my head.
The cast, main plot, and half of the songs were conceived in the next three or so days, most of it during my 8-hour trip back home.
The rest has been the usual Sam-and-Lena-ping-pong-workflow where both of us build upon the work of the other.
What criteria were used for team selection?
Sam: My main question was: Who are the people I would want to work with very closely for a year on an entirely new project? And then I started asking people. For some, I knew they could sing. Some, I needed to ask. I remember that I approached Rachel and asked her right away:
"Can you sing this song?" (I won't give away which one right now ;))
But those were secondary thoughts. First of all, I wanted to work with people I like and trust.
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How did you go about writing the lyrics?
Lena: I think this is where I shine. :-D I love writing and rhyming. I write Christmas gift rhymes, create new lyrics to songs to fit a particular scenario and made a book and a software Testing card deck with rhymes.
This, just as last year’s keynote, were all about finding the general theme and then changing the lyrics just enough so you could still recognize the original but tell a new story.
What challenges did you experience in combining technical ideas with musical theater, and how did you tackle them?
Sam: To be honest, none. We are creating a musical, so the goal is clearly to transport emotion and tell a story. Including technical concepts is not a priority—we're not creating a keynote.
There might be lessons, but the main goal is to touch the audience and maybe make them think.
Lena: Omg, absolutely none. I mean, the story is a classic in itself; we are just adding to it.
Why should I still consider seeing the session if musicals aren’t my preference?
Sam: There will be lots of fun, drama, and lightsaber duels. You can't ask for more.
What impact do you hope the musical will have on the audience's view of software testing and its community?
Lena: I don’t think anyone will leave the room thinking differently about software testing - but hopefully, someone will realise that the limit to what's possible is way higher than they thought.
Click here to read the blog post with the complete interview including other team members answers and pictures of the process!
If you want to discover more about the session read here.
Important Dates
🦄 Agile Testing Days Conference is set for November 19 - 22, 2024.
🎟️ Online Pass allows you to attend the event from anywhere. It includes 60+ live-streamed sessions and on-demand sessions before and after the conference for 6 months.
🐥 Early Bird Discount: Save up to €350 on your ticket! Available until September 15th, 2024.
🍻 Group Discount: Register your team for Agile Testing Days and get a discount and a free Coaching session with an industry expert.
More details on the Agile Testing Days website!
Leave us a comment if the session you are looking forward to the most!