19 Sep 2023
Deborah Heath looks back on a spectacular summer of comedy, drama and everything in between at OVO’s outdoor extravaganza…
We have been treated to an absolutely outstanding offering from OVO and partners in this year’s Roman Theatre Festival. It was great to see their bold outlook being taken to a new level with productions like ‘The Threepenny Opera’ a text that would frighten most companies!
I feel that we have really turned a corner recently in that it isn’t just St Albans and nearby residents who come and see the shows – the word has spread even further than London with critical acclaim coming from national publications such as The Stage.
Actors too are queuing up to work with this innovative company with a whopping 1, 200 auditioning for ‘The Threepenny Opera’, some directly from the West end stage.
I asked director Adam Nichols to reflect on what he was most proud of in this year’s festival.
“The big increase in audience numbers. We had nearly 16,000 people through the gate, which is a third more than last year – pretty incredible given the weather conditions this summer. We are also very aware that economic conditions are tough for people, so we really appreciate and value the fantastic support of our audience, especially in the local area, and the significant number of people who came for the first time – as well as our hundreds of season ticket holders, each of whom attended eight shows on average.”
Having attended 8 shows myself, I would like to share my personal highlights:
- ‘Romeo and Juliet’ – OVO really hit the ground running with their opening show – it showcased what they do best: taking a bold approach to a classic text with their unique use of actor-musicians in what was a bitter sweet production
- My favourite visiting show ‘The Canterbury Improv Tales’ from Make it Beautiful Theatre company – was the funniest professional show I have seen all year. However, youth theatre production ‘Norses Off’ from Best Youth Theatre (BYT) excited me to see the future stars of this festival with some excellent props thrown in!
- ‘The Threepenny Opera’ – I can’t stop thinking about it. I can’t stop talking about it! This was a highly entertaining production despite all the restrictions of a Brecht text. OVO didn’t see these issues as restrictions at all – they embraced them and gave this musical a new lease of life. If anything in this festival proved OVO boldness it was ‘The Threepenny Opera’.
- The set – Simon Nicholas’ scaffolding bridge was not only a marvellous canvas for OVO and visiting productions alike but it was a feat of engineering due to the restrictions of working on a heritage site. I loved seeing how each production used this bridge differently.
However, it wasn’t all a bed of roses. Adam sites the good old British weather as OVO’s biggest challenge at this year’s festival.
Having seen the BYT teenagers stoically continuing with some mad physical theatre on a slippery stage, I must admit I was worried. Adam explained: “We’ve been very lucky the past two years, with only one day of rain in three months last year, and mostly dry conditions in 2021. Although June was a lovely month, July was a horror!
“We are continually amazed and humbled by the fortitude of our audiences who turn up in all conditions, but it can get very challenging for the actors on stage, the crew supporting them and our brilliant front of house team who are looking after our visitors.
“There was one particular day when our rep company did two performances of ‘The Railway Children’ and ‘Private Lives’, and the rain never stopped. It takes a lot of resilience and professionalism to be able to give a great performance in those conditions.
I asked Adam what we can expect from next year’s festival: “We’ll be even more razor-focused on bold, imaginative and surprising versions of classic plays and stories.
“We have a brand-new adaptation of one of our most popular literary classics, as well as a new musical based on one of the country’s favourite poems, in development. It will be our tenth festival, so we also intend to revisit some favourite shows of previous years. And we plan to increase the number of live music events, which have been extremely popular this year.”
Well, I’m certainly looking forward to it. However, for now I have put away my trusty bag of blankets, waterproofs and flasks for another year.
It’s a sad moment but also a happy one when I think of the wonderful memories – the audience participation, the superb blend of drama and music, the friendly front of house staff and sitting at the bar looking out over a truly humbling historic site lit up with fairy lights.
A heartfelt thank you and a big pat on the back goes out to everyone who was involved in making this year’s festival the success that it was.
