19 Apr 2023
OVO theatre company has recently celebrated its 20th year and 105th production. Under the inspirational leadership of director and co-founder Adam Nichols it has grown from being a community group to professional company with a well-deserved reputation for distinctive re-imaginings of classic texts. As a long-standing admirer of OVO’s work, Deborah Heath was delighted to interview Adam Nichols to find out more about OVO and his own creative professional journey.
Adam was born into theatre loving family and was particularly encouraged by his father, who had narrowly missed out on a professional acting career himself.
In 1985, as a boy actor, Adam appeared alongside Antony Sher and Pete Postlethwaite in an RSC production of Richard III which he remembers as “an amazing experience for me and my Dad!”
Another notable adult for him at this time was his school drama teacher Jenny Haynes who gave him plenty of opportunities to tread the boards, including several productions at the Edinburgh Festival.
It surprised me to find out that Adam didn’t go to drama school, instead reading politics at Durham. This was an important time for Adam because he not only met his wife Felicity but given that she was from St Albans, he began the start of his relationship with our own fair city! The couple even got married at St Albans Cathedral.
I asked Adam what he thinks is special about St Albans. “It’s hard to put my finger on it. There’s the liberal political diversity, the interesting people and the culture-loving community. It’s also the history. There are so many interesting historical figures like Francis Bacon and important buildings that have been here for such a long time.”
Perhaps this is why Adam staged Enemy of the People, his first production with Breakaway Theatre Company, throughout the former Town Hall, including the court room. It might also explain why he is drawn to the magical space of the Roman Theatre, which is now OVO’s spiritual home.
They still enjoy working at the Maltings Theatre, which is a versatile space but as Adam explained: “COVID accelerated a shift to the open air.” I think other regular OVO theatre-goers would agree that there is a magical quality to productions at the Roman Theatre. It feels humbling to know that it has been a performance venue for over 2,000 years.
As Adam and Felicity brought up their family, he worked in education both in the UK and abroad.
This ranged from being a government advisor to setting up the Harpenden Academy and even a group of schools in Africa. He continued to do community theatre in tandem with this, always feeling a bit wistful as he saw fellow school mates Joe Hill Gibbins and Tom Edden succeed in the professional theatre careers. “I always thought I would do it at some point,” he explained. And he was right – in 2003, he set up OVO with Simon Nicholas.
“It meant we could produce and direct things without the constraints of other companies.”
OVO went from strength-to-strength and still boast many of their original members including Andy Margerison, David Widdowson and David Berryman.
Simon Nicholas is still designing for OVO which is no mean feat within the restrictions of a historically protected site! “It’s our local core that gives the company its heart,” explained Adam, “we started off as upstarts and now we’re a valued part of our local community! I’m really proud of how OVO has become established locally and nationally [including a production of As You Like It at the Minack Theatre in Cornwall] and how we’ve elevated it to a professional company.”
So what advice does Adam have for those thinking of entering the theatrical profession?
“It’s a precarious industry,” he admits. “To succeed is not just about talent, it’s about having mental strength and resilience. I’m certainly glad I’m doing this now rather than in my 20s!”
But this isn’t stopping young and established actors alike flocking to St Albans to audition for OVO.
In fact, at his current auditions for Bertolt Brecht’s ‘Threepenny Opera’ Adam had a whopping 1,200 applicants, some straight from the West End stage! I know I am not alone in loving to see OVO stalwart actors in new roles but I applaud the opportunities OVO gives to new talent too.
So what’s the draw of OVO? Adam explains: “We have developed an innovative spin on classic texts and work with some of the most exciting new writing too. We’ve carved a niche locally and now nationally. I think particularly the collaborative way in which we work on our productions is special. Shakespeare is endlessly relevant we will always have new interpretations – they depend on what is going on in the world at the at time and so it never loses its resonance.”
Adam really is one of those people who leaves one feeling inspired and energised and we are really privileged to have his cultural influence on our city.
I think it must be his background in education that gives his work such a nurturing and collaborative nature. No doubt this is why he has developed a repertory company of OVO actors who want to work with him and his creative team again and again.
Bearing all his achievements in mind, I asked Adam what he believed he had been put on this Earth to do.
“Helping people to create things,” he began, “I’m an entrepreneur – I’m good at seeing opportunities and finding the right people who can work with me to make things happen. In terms of my directing, I think I can communicate a vision well to the company and the audience.”
So, if you are a St Albans resident who has not yet seen an OVO production, the message is clear; give this year’s Roman Theatre Festival a try. Adam promises: “You’ll have fun!”
